Researchers in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland have found the fossilised remains of an unknown variety of tree.
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The fossil fragments were discovered on Monte San Giorgio, a Unesco World Heritage site. It is believed that the fossils are about 240 million years old.
The tree was in the conifer family, with needles about three centimetres long. Its branches would have been up to 16 centimetres in length.
According to the researchers, the needles were arranged in a spiral pattern around the branches.
Monte San Giorgio is regarded as the best place for studying fossil marine life from the mid-Triassic period and may once have been a part of Africa.
It has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 2003.
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The Monte San Giorgio, which is more than 1,000 metres above sea level, has become one of the world’s most important sites for studying fossils of the mid-Triassic period. It became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.