Oldest bamboo fossil of the world discovered to be a conifer

The oldest Bamboo fossil that was discovered as the fossil evidence for Gondwanan origin of bamboos is reportedly a Coniferous. The fossil that was declared a branch of the rare bamboo tree from the early Eocene in Patagonia, 1941 has been revealed as Chusquea Oxyphylla, suggest reports.

The real nature of the leafy branch is actually coniferous

Dr. Peter Wilf, a researcher at the Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University confirmed in his published research paper in the open-access journal Phytokeys that upon recent examination he found that the real nature of the leafy branch is actually coniferous. He stated that the correct identification is extremely significant because the said discovered branch was the only bamboo macrofossil still considered from the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana. 

Read UK Wildlife 'at Risk' Due To Gaps In Environmental Regulations

Read Barsey Rhododendron Wildlife Sanctuary In Sikkim And Everything About It

According to the reports, some scientists still doubted whether the Patagonian fossil was any grass species or the bamboo at all as most scientists had a chance to identify the macrofossil only by studying photographs found in the original publication from 1941 by the Argentine botanists Joaquín Frenguelli and Lorenzo Parodi.

the macrofossil was needed to be renamed

"There is no evidence of bamboo-type nodes, sheaths or ligules. Areas that may resemble any bamboo features consist only of the broken departure points of leaf bases diverging from the twig. The decurrent, extensively clasping leaves are quite unlike the characteristically pseudopetiolate leaves of bamboos, and the heterofacially twisted free-leaf bases do not occur in any bamboo or grass," wrote Dr. Wilf in his published research that was made accessible to the public.

He described in his research that the macrofossil needed to be renamed as from the freshly gathered evidence, the Chusquea Oxyphylla had no resemblance to the Bamboo plant whatsoever. He also emphasized the exclusion of the new world bamboo genome from the macrofossil and said that the fossil had stronger links and characteristic features to living floras of tropical West Pacific.

Read Artists Use Sand As Canvas To Honour The Dead Wildlife From Australian Bushfires

Read Australia Govt Announces $34m For Fire-hit Wildlife