''Montsechia'' is an extinct genus of aquatic plants containing the species ''Montsechia vidalii'', described from Spain. ''M. vidalii'' lived about 130 million years ago, during the
Barremian age, and appears to be the earliest known
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
macrofossil. It has affinities with the modern genus ''
Ceratophyllum
''Ceratophyllum'' is a cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants commonly found in ponds, marshes, and quiet streams in tropical and in temperate regions. It is the only extant taxon, extant genus in the family Ceratophyll ...
''.
It has been placed in the
ceratophyllalean family Montsechiaceae.
See also
*''
Archaefructus''
References
Early Cretaceous plants
Cretaceous angiosperms
Prehistoric angiosperm genera
{{cretaceous-plant-stub