An Undercover Angiosperm from the Jurassic of China

Searching for early angiosperms is a riveting activity in botany because it helps to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among seed plants and among angiosperms themselves. One of the challenges for this job is what the target fossils look like. Most possibly early angiosperms may elude our scrutiny with gymnospermous appearances. This possibility becomes a reality in a Jurassic plant, Solaranthus gen. nov, which bears a peltaspermalean appearance and enclosed ovules. According to knowledge available hitherto, the latter feature makes it an angiosperm. However, such a feature is more likely to be eclipsed by its gymnospermous appearance. The early age and unexpected character assemblage of Solaranthus urge for a fresh look on the assumed‐simple relationship between angiosperms and gymnosperms. Its resemblance to the order Peltaspermales favors the Mostly Male Theory.