Cladoxylopsida
The cladoxylopsids are a group of plants known only as fossils that may be ancestors of ferns and horsetails.
| Cladoxylopsida Temporal range: Middle Devonian–early Carboniferous
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Wattieza | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Pteridophyta/? |
| Class: | Cladoxylopsida |
| Orders/Genera | |
|
†Pseudosporochnales | |
Bark (possibly from a cladoxylopsid) from the Middle Devonian of Wisconsin
They had a central trunk, from the top of which several lateral branches were attached. Fossils of these plants start in the middle Devonian to early Carboniferous periods, mostly just as stems.
Cladoxylopsida contains two orders. The order Hyeniales is now included in Pseudosporochnales.[1]
Intact fossils of the Middle Devonian cladoxylopsid Wattieza show it was a tree, the earliest known in the fossil record as of 2007. In 2019, experts discovered more fossils of Cladoxylopsida and Archaeopteris in a quarry in Cairo, New York.[2]
References
- ↑ Thomas N. Taylor, Edith L. Taylor, Michael Krings 2009. Paleobotany: the biology and evolution of fossil plants. 2nd ed. p. 387-401, 1028. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-373972-8
- ↑ Foster, Laura (Dec 19, 2019). "World's oldest fossil trees uncovered in New York". BBC News Online. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50840134. Retrieved Dec 19, 2019.