Still going strong

[revmichael]

My Liquidamber is still going strong although it has finally started to drop some of its leaves - especially on the side where the sun shines.

I thought you'd like to see this picture I took 30 minutes ago.

[Fi]

I love Liquidambars, especially at ths time of the year. Palaeontological evidence shows that they first grew in Scotland about 66 million years ago - one of the earliest genera of the natural flora that is still recognisable today.

[revmichael]

fi said:

I love Liquidambars, especially at ths time of the year. Palaeontological evidence shows that they first grew in Scotland about 66 million years ago - one of the earliest genera of the natural flora that is still recognisable today.

That's interesting Fi.
What kind of palaeontonlogical evidence is it that shows 'that they first grew in Scotland about 66 million years ago?'

[Fi]

revmichael said:

fi said:

I love Liquidambars, especially at ths time of the year. Palaeontological evidence shows that they first grew in Scotland about 66 million years ago - one of the earliest genera of the natural flora that is still recognisable today.

That's interesting Fi.
What kind of palaeontonlogical evidence is it that shows 'that they first grew in Scotland about 66 million years ago?'

Purely palynological. I've seen pollen that looks identical to modern liquidambar pollen from rocks of that age under the North Sea. It's not 100% evidence, since pollen from different plants sometimes looks very similar, but liquidambar pollen is relatively complex and so distinctive that I'd be very surprised if the 66-65 million year old examples come from anything else. Therefore I'd put the reliabilty of the identification at 99% sure. I've tried to find an image of them on the net, but there doesn't appear to be any.

[meltemi]

In flower today primroses, snow drops, cyclamen, french marigolds & lobellia...