While much attention has been given to animal life in amber, the remains of a variety of plants, including angiosperm flowers, also exist in fossilized resin. Presented here is a pictorial synopsis of 94 flowers that occur in four major amber deposits around the world. These deposits are from Burma (Myanmar), the Baltic area, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and range in age from the mid-Cretaceous to the mid-Tertiary. The basic features of these flowers are presented and their relationship with existing plant lineages discussed. This work will be of interest to amber enthusiasts, plant taxonomists, plant morphologists, plant ecologists, plant evolutionists and plant paleontologists.
Recenzijos
Flowers in Amber, is the first volume solely focused on amber flowers and is an extraordinary contribution to science. The 156 references cited throughout the volume will be appreciated by all readers interested in learning more details about the topics discussed by Poinar. The book is profusely illustrated with 250 photographs and is being offered at a very reasonable price, making it quite accessible to anyone interested in amber fossils. (Fernando E. Vega, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 98 (2), June, 2023)
Introduction.- The miracle of amber.- Floral characteristics.
Chapter1. Burmese amber flowers.
Chapter2. Baltic amber flowers.
Chapter3. Dominican amber flowers.
Chapter4. Mexican amber flowers.- General conclusions.- References.
George Poinar has studied amber for many years and he and his wife Roberta founded The Amber Institute that provided information and identifications of amber inclusions. The Institute was closed after the Poinars left UC Berkeley and went to Oregon State University. A paper written by the Poinars showed Michel Crichton a way to bring back dinosaurs in his book Jurassic Park. After studying animals in amber, Poinar and his colleagues began investigating flowers. The descriptions of all amber flowers, including those of the trees that produced Dominican and Mexican amber, are summarized in the present work.
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