Fossils of angiosperms first appear in the fossil record about 140 million years ago. Based on the material in which these fossils are deposited, early angiosperms must have been weedy, fast-growing shrubs and herbs found in highly disturbed riparian stream channels and crevasses. New research looks into whether aspects of a fossil plant’s life history could be determined from its morphology — could this technique corroborate the idea that these ancient plants were fast-growing species?