In a piece of amber before 20-30 million years old was discovered well-preserved two fragments of flowers, belonging to the clade astrowych. For this large group systematically classified today as different plants like potato, tobacco, petunia or coffee.
Interestingly, discovered specimens millions of years ago belong to the genus Strychnos, from which plants are poisonous, containing a poisons such as strychnine or curare.
as explained George Poinar Jr. from Oregon State University (USA), specimens are beautiful, well-preserved, come from tropical, steamy forests of the Dominican Republic. “Such specimens give us insights into the ecology of the environment distant times” – he added.
asters is one of the most important and diverse angiosperms on Earth. Isolated in the case of rows 10, 98 families, and approx. 80 thousand. species. They represent nearly a third of all angiosperms.
It now appears that one of the types belonging to astrowych, the oldest so perfectly preserved specimen, represented the arm poisonous. It existed for millions of years before man.
“Almost all the species belonging to the genus Strychnos toxic. Each contains its own alkaloid of different activities. Some are more and some less toxic “- explains Poinar.
Currently known approx. 200 species belonging to this kind of systematic. Some of them are used as poisons, for example. Strychnine or curare, in very small concentrations, also in medicine. (PAP)
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