There’s A Slight Discrepancy In The Gardening Article, Page 52…

May 3, 2011
1 min read
Tropical plants

Jeannie Asked

There’s a slight discrepancy in the gardening article, page 52 of the May issue, regarding selaginella. How can it be over 400 million years old when the world is not even that old?

The Gardener’s Answer

Hello, Jeannie: It is always nice to hear from our readers, so thank you for your response. As far as the age of the earth goes, there are certainly different opinions. According to John Mickel from the New York Botanical Garden, these fern allies “reached their greatest development during the carboniferous period.” Geologically speaking this is during the Paleozoic era, which is dated around 400 million years ago.

Have a question for the Gardener?

Ask the Gardener

First Name*
Last Name*
Email Address*
Newsletter :
- I want to receive email updates from Kentucky Living
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Phone
Choose your electric cooperative*
Please read the statement below & check the box*
- My question is about gardening in Kentucky. I understand that Kentucky Living only accepts "Ask the Gardener" questions from Kentuckians.
Title or Subject*
Your Question*
Reference Photo
Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, png, gif.
*
- I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the terms of use.
CAPTCHA
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.