Archaefructus

Archaefructus is an extinct genus of herbaceous aquatic plants in the Archaefructaceae family. It consists of only 3 known species. Fossil material of this genus originates from the Yixian Formation in China, which was originally dated to the Jurassic, but now it is thought to be about 125 million years old, which would make the species live in the Cretaceous. Even with its revised age, Archaefructus species are proposed as one of the earliest known genera of angiosperms.

Due to its age, and because it lacks sepals and petals and its reproductive organs, which are interpreted as carpels and stamens, are produced on an elongated stem rather than condensed into a flower like modern angiosperms, making this genus belong to a separate family, Archaefructaceae, which is a new basal angiosperm family. A different interpretation of the same fossil, however, interprets the stem as an inflorescense, with staminate flowers below, and pistillate above. Archaefructus eoflora supports this interpretation, because a bisexual flower is is present between the staminate and pistillate organs. If this interpretation is correct, Archaefructus may not be basal with angiosperms, but may be close to the Nymphaeales or basal eudicots.

Species

 * Archaefructus eoflora
 * Archaefructus liaoningensis
 * Archaefructus sinensis