Description

Conanthus sp.
Early Cretaceous
Jiulongshan Formation
Daohugou Village, China
22mm inflorescense on 32mm slab.

Flower. Cone.

Conanthus is a plant genus within the extinct conifer family, Cheirolepidiaceae. Conanthus dates back to at least the Early Jurassic. Its cones are flower-like. In fact, “Conanthus” comes from the Latin meaning a cone that resembles a flower.

An inflorescence is usually a cluster of flowers on a plant or the part of the plant where flowers are formed but it may refer to a flower-like structure.

Here we have a nice specimen that would be of interest to fossil plant collectors of all levels of experience.