In the quiet region of New Brunswick, Canada, paleontologists have made a surprising discovery: a 352-million-year-old tree fossil, called Sanfordiacaulis densifolia, challenges our understanding of prehistoric trees. This fossil, unlike most, preserves not only the trunk, but also the crown, offering an unprecedented complete view of a tree that dates back to a very long time ago.
A journey through time
Walking through the forests of Carboniferous, we would have found ourselves in a world radically different from today's. A time when our planet was warmer, with oxygen levels in the atmosphere by around 35% versus 21% today. This abundance of oxygen gave rise to gigantic life forms, such as centipedes 3 meters long and dragonflies with a wingspan of one meter.
Sanfordiacaulis densifolia was no exception, with a unique structure. Unlike modern trees, this prehistoric tree boasted more than 250 leaves arranged around a slender, non-wooden trunk. Each leaf extended about 1.75 meters from the trunk, perhaps more. This growth pattern formed a sort of “bottlebrush” with a dense canopy of leaves extending at least 5.5 meters around the trunk.
“Primitive tree,” where does it come from?
The unique nature of Sanfordiacaulis has led scientists to question its place in the evolutionary tree. The presence of canopy leaves still attached to the trunk raises fundamental questions about its organization and evolution. It may represent an “evolutionary experiment,” a form of life that, although successful for a time, has not survived to the present day.
The discovery of this “proto tree” is a reminder of the vast and often mysterious history of life on Earth. Its unique appearance and its brief existence in the long span of Earth's history remind us that nature has always been a laboratory of evolutionary experimentation, with countless life forms that have followed different paths, some of which are familiar to us, others completely alien to our modern eyes.
If you want to know more, here you can find the original paper.
