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Show Oldest Land Plant Is IsDiscovered IsDiscovered Discovered in SwedenCambridge Sweden SwedenCambridge Cambridge , Mass rvrass . . - The Theworld's Theworld's Theworlds Theworld's world's worlds ' oldest land plant plantestimated , estImated to be about 500- 500 500000,000 500000,000 500-000,000 500 000,000 000000 , - 000,000 000000 , years old or almost almosttWIce almosttwice almosttwice tWIce as old as prevIously prevIouslydIscovered previouslydiscovered previouslydiscovered dIscovered specimens , has hasbeen hasbeen hasbeen been detected from its fossilremains fosSIl fosSIlremams fossilremains remams remains by a Harvard scien SCIen- SCIentIst scien- scien scientist scientist - - tist . . The primitive pnmlhve shoot . , , found m in mblack inblack inblack black oil shale from Sv Sweden Sseden . eden , , is be- be beheved believed be believed - lieved heved to have lived hved during durmg the Cam Cam- CambrIan Cambrian Cambrian - brian era , a fact that substantIally substantIallydoubles substantiallydoubles substantiallydoubles doubles the known hnown age of higher higherplant higherplant higherplant plant forms on earth Previous evi eVI- evidence eVIdence evi- evi evidence - - dence has indicated mdlcated that plant We life Wefirst lifefirst lifefirst first emerged from the water dur dur- during during during - ing the uppermost Silurian SllunlD : perIOd periodor or somewhat somehat someshat some\ some \ ' hat under 300,000,000 300000000 , , , years yearsago yearsago yearsago yearsagoInvestigators ago agoInvestigators Investigators have for some time timesuspected timesuspected timesuspected suspected thit that th t land plants probably probablyeXisted probablyexisted probablyexisted eXisted during durmg the earlier Cam Cam- Cambrian Cambrian Cambrian - brian period from a study of thefossils the thefossIls thefossils fossIls of animals ammals of that era whIch whIchmust whichmust whichmust must have depended to some extent extenton extenton extenton on plants in their tIlelr diet This indi indi- indirect indirect indirect - rect evidence , however howevcr , has never neverprevlOusly neverpreviously neverpreviously prevlOusly previously been confirmed by discovery dis- dis discovery discovery - - | covery of o the remains remams of the pla'lts plalts plaits pla'ltsthemselves plaitsthemselves plantsthemselves ' themselves |