Oldest known flower found

A plant that had no petals and lived underwater approximately 130 million years ago could be the oldest known ‘flower’, according to scientists. Montsechia vidalii once grew abundantly in freshwater lakes in what are now mountainous regions in Spain. Montsechia was classified as a flowering plant because it produced seeds enclosed within a carpel (the female reproductive organ of a flower). The modern descendant of this ancient plant is Caratophyllum, a dark green aquatic plant popularly used in aquariums.