99 million-year-old flower Eophylica priscatellata

Eophylica priscatellata, one of two flowers discovered perfectly preserved in amber.

Flowers discovered perfectly preserved in globs of amber bloomed at the feet of dinosaurs, suggesting that some flowering plants in South Africa today have remained unchanged for 99 million years, a new study reveals.

The two flowers once bloomed in what is now Myanmar and may shed light on how flowering plants evolved -- a major episode in the history of life that was once described by Charles Darwin as an "abominable mystery".

"These particular flowers are almost identical to their modern relatives. There really are no major differences," added Spicer, who is also a visiting professor at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in China.

While many ferns, conifers and some flowering plants seen today, such as plane trees and magnolia, grew during dinosaur times, Spicer said that Phylica piloburmensis was the first flowering plant known to have an all but identical relative alive today.