Early flowers and angiosperm evolution / Else Marie Friis, Peter R. Crane, Kaj Raunsgaard Pedersen.

Machine generated contents note: Preface; 1. Introduction to angiosperms; 2. The nature of the angiosperm fossil record; 3. The environmental context of early angiosperm evolution; 4. Stratigraphic framework and key areas for Cretaceous angiosperms; 5. Angiosperms in context: extant and fossil seed plants; 6. Origin and age of angiosperms; 7. Phylogenetic framework and the assignment of fossils to extant groups; 8. Fossils near the base of the angiosperm tree; 9. Early fossil angiosperms of uncertain relationships; 10. Early fossils of eumagnoliids; 11. Fossils of monocots; 12. Fossils of eudicots: early diverging groups; 13. Fossils of core eudicots: basal lineages; 14. Fossils of core eudicots: rosids; 15. Early fossils of eudicots: asterids; 16. Patterns of structural diversification in angiosperm reproductive organs; 17. History and evolution of pollination in angiosperms; 18. History and evolution of dispersal in angiosperms; 19. Vegetational context of early angiosperm diversification; 20. The accumulation of angiosperm diversity; References; Index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 501-572) and index.

"The recent discovery of diverse fossil flowers and floral organs in Cretaceous strata has revealed astonishing details about the structural and systematic diversity of early angiosperms. Exploring the rich fossil record that has accumulated over the last three decades, this is a unique study of the evolutionary history of flowering plants from their earliest phases in obscurity to their dominance in modern vegetation. The discussion provides comprehensive biological and geological background information, before moving on to summarise the fossil record in detail. Including previously unpublished results based on research into Early and Late Cretaceous fossil floras from Europe and North America, the authors draw on direct palaeontological evidence of the pattern of angiosperm evolution through time. Synthesising palaeobotanical data with information from living plants, this unique book explores the latest research in the field, highlighting connections with phylogenetic systematics, structure and the biology of extant angiosperms"--