What are the oldest species of grass living today?
Im interested in "living fossil" plants. Ive foudn out about the dawn redwood, maples, oak, palms, magnolia, cycads and others are old. While the information on them in general is scarce, i can still find somethiing on them. Unfortunatly I cant find out to much about old species of grass, except things alluding too bamboo ( which is too general for my tastes). Does anyone know anything about this?
2 Responses
Marilyn
07 Jan 2011
gardengallivant
07 Jan 2011
Molecular homology of the plastid genome compared in 62 species indicates that Streptochaeta and Anomochloa are two of the most basal lineages in the Poaceae. These two genera are part of the Anomochlooideae and form a single clade with subfamilies Phareae, Puelia + Guaduella as the earliest diverging lineage.
‘Reproductive morphology of the early-divergent grass Streptochaeta’
http://www.springerlink.com/content/g45213t358r3r834/
Anomochloa may be reassigned away from the Poaceae. Anomochloa marantoidea has striking dissimilarities with other crown grasses.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1856420/dna_study_grass_may_not_be_a_grass/
http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/4/620
Pollen from grasses (Poaceae) is common in the fossil record. The oldest records of grass pollen are from about 60 million years ago, during the middle of the Paleocene, but they did not become abundant until about 30 million years ago. Of the extant grasses, Phragmites may be most similar to the ancient grasses of the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic. Other sources cite bamboos: Bamboos are often considered the world’s most ancient grasses according to "Bamboo for Gardens," with predecessors dating from 30 million to 40 million years ago. The modern bamboo species, Streptochaeta spicata, is an example of what paleobotanists believe ancient,
These names and references should lead you to what you’re looking for. Good hunting!