A new lily from Early Cretaceous Brazil

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A new genus of lily has been described from the Crato plattenkalk limestone of Brazil. The new genus has been given the name Cratolirion bognerianum ("Bogner's Crato lily"), with the genus name originating from the Crato limestone, the location where the genus was discovered, and the new genus' classification as a lily, and the species name originating from Josef Bogner, a German botanist who has worked with living and fossil members of the aroid family and has an interest in fossil monocots. The fossil of this new genus is incredibly preserved, showing everything from the roots to the reproductive organs, enabling its classification as a monocot to be determined through analysis of reproductive, vegetative, and anatomical characteristics. The remains were found in what was once Northern Gondwana, suggesting that an early relation of monocots happened in the tropics. Cratolirion is significant to paleobotany because most Early Cretaceous monocot fossils originate from northern mid-latitudes, while this specimen originates from the tropics. Here is an image of the fossils used to describe the new genus, a CT scan of part of the specimen, and a link to the paper describing the new genus.




Paper (abstract only): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334314462_Fossil_evidence_of_core_monocots_in_the_Early_Cretaceous

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I remember a time when it was said flowers of any kind didn't exist until the latest Cretaceous.  I'm glad to see that's been disproved in recent years and the prehistoric forests are now known to be more colorful.