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131 / Mesozoic
Archaefructus
Archaefructus liaoningensis
Elongated aquatic stems bore petal-less reproductive structures important to debates about early flowering plants.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 125 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Cretaceous
- Geographic range
- East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Archaefructus?
This archive records Archaefructus under the scientific name Archaefructus liaoningensis, with an age of About 125 million years ago and a range of East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China. Elongated aquatic stems bore petal-less reproductive structures important to debates about early flowering plants.
Archaefructus may have been submerged or emergent. Finely divided leaves grew below a long axis bearing pollen organs and seed-containing structures; its exact place among angiosperms remains debated.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Archaefructus at a glance
- Scientific name
- Archaefructus liaoningensis
- Age
- About 125 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- Early Cretaceous
- Known range
- East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China
- Broad group
- plant
- Archive era
- Mesozoic
- Habitat signals
- Freshwater
- Documented regions
- Asia
03 / ANATOMY
How was Archaefructus built?
Overall body plan
Elongated aquatic stems bore petal-less reproductive structures important to debates about early flowering plants.
Growth architecture
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Archaefructus, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Reproductive structures
Archaefructus may have been submerged or emergent. Finely divided leaves grew below a long axis bearing pollen organs and seed-containing structures; its exact place among angiosperms remains debated.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Archaefructus.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Archaefructus live?
Archaefructus may have been submerged or emergent. Finely divided leaves grew below a long axis bearing pollen organs and seed-containing structures; its exact place among angiosperms remains debated. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on plant communities, soils, water availability and climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Archaefructus live?
This archive currently lists About 125 million years ago; East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 125 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as Early Cretaceous. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels Freshwater. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Archaefructus?
Primary record
Complete Yixian fossils preserve roots, stems, divided leaves, male organs and seeds together.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Archaefructus within About 125 million years ago and East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Archaefructus disappear?
Rapid turnover in Early Cretaceous lakes and flowering-plant lineages ended this specialized branch.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Archaefructus FAQ
What was Archaefructus?
This archive records Archaefructus under the scientific name Archaefructus liaoningensis, with an age of About 125 million years ago. Elongated aquatic stems bore petal-less reproductive structures important to debates about early flowering plants.
When did Archaefructus live?
The current archive range is About 125 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is Early Cretaceous.
Where was Archaefructus found?
The archive currently lists East Asian freshwater lakes · Present-day Liaoning, China. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Archaefructus?
Complete Yixian fossils preserve roots, stems, divided leaves, male organs and seeds together.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS