Cladoxylopsida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids CladoxylopsidaTemporal range: Middle Devonian–early Carboniferous
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| Wattieza | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta (?) |
| Class: | †Cladoxylopsida |
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†Pseudosporochnales
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Imagine a time long, long ago, even before dinosaurs! That's when the cladoxylopsids lived. These were ancient plants that we only know about from their fossils. Scientists think they might be the ancestors of plants we see today, like ferns and horsetails.
These plants had a main trunk, and from the top of it, several branches grew outwards. Most of the fossils we find are just parts of their stems. Cladoxylopsids lived from the middle Devonian period to the early Carboniferous period.
What Were Cladoxylopsids?
Cladoxylopsids were a special group of plants that are now extinct. They are important because they show us how plants evolved over millions of years.
Types of Cladoxylopsids
Scientists have grouped cladoxylopsids into different orders. One important order is called Pseudosporochnales. Another is Iridopteridales.
The First Trees
One amazing discovery about cladoxylopsids is a plant called Wattieza. Fossils of Wattieza from the Middle Devonian period show that it was a tree! In fact, as of 2007, Wattieza was the earliest known tree in the fossil record. This means cladoxylopsids were among the very first plants to grow tall like trees.
New Discoveries
In 2019, experts found even more fossils of cladoxylopsids and another ancient tree called Archaeopteris. They found these fossils in a quarry in Cairo, New York. These discoveries help us learn more about what Earth looked like millions of years ago.
See also
- In Spanish: Cladoxylopsida para niños
