First Flower

Did you ever wonder about when the first flower might have appeared on our planet? As it turns out, this is one of the greatest of all botanical mysteries. This NOVA episode explores the subject with a deft combination of expert testimony, state-of-the-art digital animation, and astonishing natural beauty. Charles Darwin called the quest for nature's first flower "an abominable mystery" because, for him, the answer proved frustratingly elusive; in fact, it wasn't until recently that a potential solution was discovered in China, where the alleged "first flower"—botanically classified as Archaefructus—was found fossilized between layers of rock dating over 100 million years old. Top-ranking paleobotanists Sun Ge (from Jilin University in China) and David Dilcher (Florida University) set out to prove that Archaefructus was indeed the earliest known flower, and this documentary supports their discovery with fascinating field work, featuring beautiful cinematography of China's remote Hengduan Mountains, dubbed "the mother of all gardens" for their unparalleled botanical diversity. Most of the flowers now cultivated around the world can trace their origins to this seemingly magical haven of natural splendor, where we follow Chinese botanist Yin Kaipu and American horticulturist and plant explorer Daniel J. Hinkley on an infectiously enthusiastic tour of the region's astonishing biodiversity. As writer-director Doug Hamilton and narrator Liev Schreiber guide us through the evolution and biological function of flowering plants, First Flower blossoms (if you'll pardon the pun) into a richly satisfying study. Not surprisingly, the program ends with a warning: even the seemingly pristine Hengduans are endangered by man-made crises such as pollution, land development, and global warming. First Flower makes a convincing case that flowers are as essential to life as the air we breathe, and their future, in part, depends on how well we understand and appreciate their past. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Shannon)