Fossilized Alien Plant remains unearthed near a Utah ghost town baffle scientists, defying classification as they belong to no known modern or extinct plant family, sparking intrigue and further research.
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Alien Plant Fossil Found Near Utah Ghost Town: Unlike Anything on Earth
Scientists have unraveled a decades-old botanical mystery surrounding an “ alien plant ” fossil discovered near a Utah ghost town 55 years ago. Initially found in 1969, the fossilized leaves were named Othniophyton elongatum, which translates to “alien plant.” At the time, paleontologists speculated that the plant might be related to the ginseng family.
However, recent research has overturned that theory. Steven Manchester, curator of paleobotany at the Florida Museum of Natural History and a Utah fossil expert, stumbled upon a remarkably preserved plant fossil while reviewing the University of California, Berkeley’s paleobotany collection. This fossil originated from the same region as the 1969 discovery, offering new insights into the mysterious plant’s identity.
Manchester and his team conducted a thorough analysis of both specimens, publishing their findings on November 9 in the journal Annals of Botany. Both fossils were excavated from the Green River Formation in eastern Utah, near the now-abandoned town of Rainbow. This area, roughly 47 million years ago, was part of a vast lake ecosystem surrounded by active volcanoes. The combination of lake sediments and volcanic ash helped preserve a diverse array of plants, fish, reptiles, and birds in remarkable detail.
The new specimen featured not just leaves but also flowers and fruits, offering a more complete view of the plant’s structure. Unlike earlier assumptions, these features bore no resemblance to plants in the ginseng family. Even after comparing the fossils with over 400 existing and extinct flowering plant families, scientists were unable to identify any connections.
The alien plant’s lack of similarity to any known plant family highlights the diversity of ancient ecosystems and leaves researchers wondering about its evolutionary lineage. This discovery pushes the boundaries of what we know about Earth’s ancient flora.
A reconstruction of Othniophyton elongatum. (Image credit: Ashley Hamersma, Manchester et al., 2024)
When scientists first examined the alien plant fossils in 1969, their analysis was limited to leaf specimens. Based on the veins’ arrangement, they theorized a resemblance to the ginseng family. However, the absence of flowers, fruits, or branches made it difficult to form a definitive conclusion. Decades later, the discovery of a more detailed fossil allowed researchers to construct a clearer picture of the plant’s appearance, ultimately disproving the ginseng connection. Yet, they still couldn’t classify the plant into any known family.
A turning point came when the Florida Museum of Natural History gained access to advanced microscopy and artificial intelligence technologies. These tools allowed for an unprecedented level of detail in studying the fossils. Micro-impressions revealed developing seeds within the plant’s fruits, as well as stamens—male reproductive organs of flowers—that remained attached even as the fruits reached maturity. This was highly unusual, as stamens typically detach after fertilization in most plants.
“Usually, stamens will fall away as the fruit develops. And this thing seems unusual in that it’s retaining the stamens at the time it has mature fruits with seeds ready to disperse. We haven’t seen that in anything modern,” Steven Manchester explained in a statement.
Despite these breakthroughs, the team was unable to find a match among extinct plant families either. Intriguingly, this isn’t the only puzzling discovery from the Green River Formation. Other plant fossils, such as Bonanzacarpum fruits and Palibinia leaves, have similarly defied classification, leading to the identification of entirely new extinct groups.
The alien plant fossil underscores the rich biodiversity of Earth’s ancient ecosystems and the potential for future discoveries to redefine our understanding of plant evolution. The Green River Formation remains a treasure trove of paleobotanical mysteries waiting to be solved.