{"id":28732,"date":"2020-05-05T05:55:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T05:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?page_id=28732"},"modified":"2021-09-10T08:53:51","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T08:53:51","slug":"plants-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/plants-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\t<section class=\"hero-section hero-section-with-social\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero-info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Plants<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Discovering Geology &mdash; Fossils and geological time<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"social-wrap social-wrap-inline-them\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sea-background-f\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share this article<\/span><a target=\"_blank\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/plants-2\/\"><span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span class=\"hidden\">Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/a><a target=\"_blank\"  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Plants&#038;url=https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/plants-2\/\"><span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span class=\"hidden\">Twitter<\/span><\/span><\/a><a   onclick=\"javascript:void( (function() {var e=document.createElement('script' );e.setAttribute('type','text\/javascript' );e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8' );e.setAttribute('src','\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());\"  href=\"javascript:void(0);\"><span class=\"icon-pinterest\"><span class=\"hidden\">Pinterest<\/span><\/span><\/a><a target=\"_blank\"  href=\"https:\/\/wa.me?text=https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/plants-2\/\"><span class=\"icon-whatsapp\"><span class=\"hidden\">WhatsApp<\/span><\/span><\/a><a   href=\"mailto:?subject=Plants&#038;body=%20(https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/plants-2\/)\"><span class=\"icon-mail\"><span class=\"hidden\">Email<\/span><\/span><\/a><a href=\"#\" data-copy=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/plants-2\/\" class=\"copy-url-on-click\"><span class=\"icon-link\"><span class=\"hidden\">Copy Link<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-bgs-blocks-content-container content-section\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-12\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lepidodendron_trunk-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur\" alt=\"A small piece of Lepidodendron trunk, a giant club moss of the Carboniferous period.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lepidodendron_trunk.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>A small piece of <em>Lepidodendron<\/em> trunk, a giant club moss of the Carboniferous period. BGS \u00a9UKRI. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"#time\">Plants through time<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#evolution\">Evolution of plants <\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#fun-fact\">Fun facts<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3d-fossil\">3D fossil models<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"time\">Plants through time<\/h2>\n\n\n<div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">What are plants?<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Members of the plant kingdom grow from an embryo into a multicellular organism with cellulose in their walls. They photosynthesise (employing the sun&#8217;s energy to make sugars from water and carbon dioxide) using chlorophyll (the green coloration).<\/p>\n<p>A vascular plant is one that contains special cells that allow water to move through it. Non-vascular plants lack these special cells.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">The earliest plants<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The first land plants were probably relatives of the mosses, liverworts and hornworts of today (non-vascular bryophytes). Fossils of these very fragile plants are rare. The oldest known bryophytes lived on wet mudflats during the early Devonian, but it is likely that they colonised the land during the late Silurian.<\/p>\n<p>Vascular plants, which emerged during the late Silurian, resemble green algae from which they evolved. <em>Cooksonia<\/em> was the first to evolve. It was a small plant (6 cm high) that lacked leaves, but had spherical spore sacs at the ends of its branched stems. A little later, <em>Zosterophllophytina<\/em> (the ancestor of the clubmosses) and <em>Rhyniophytina<\/em> (ancestral to leaf-bearing <em>Trimerophytina<\/em> and all the other vascular plants we see today) appeared.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25454\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25454\" style=\"width: 479px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25454 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Cooksonia.jpg\" alt=\"&lt;em&gt;Cooksonia&lt;\/em&gt;, one of the earliest vascular plants that colonised the land during the Silurian.\" width=\"479\" height=\"500\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25454\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Cooksonia<\/em>, one of the earliest vascular plants that colonised the land during the Silurian Period. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25451\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25451\" style=\"width: 501px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25451 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/earliest_plants.jpg\" alt=\"The earliest plants grew in areas like the coastal mud flats of the early Devonian (410 million years ago): the non-vascular bryophyte &lt;em&gt;Sporogonites&lt;\/em&gt; (1) grows alongside vascular &lt;em&gt;Cooksonia&lt;\/em&gt; (2), &lt;em&gt;Rhynia&lt;\/em&gt; (3), &lt;em&gt;Zosterophyllum&lt;\/em&gt; (4) and &lt;em&gt;Drepanophycus&lt;\/em&gt; (5). A bottom-dwelling fish searches for food.\" width=\"501\" height=\"322\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25451\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The earliest plants grew in areas like the coastal mud flats of the early Devonian (410 million years ago): the non-vascular bryophyte <em>Sporogonites<\/em> (1) grows alongside vascular <em>Cooksonia<\/em> (2), <em>Rhynia<\/em> (3), <em>Zosterophyllum<\/em> (4) and <em>Drepanophycus<\/em> (5). A bottom-dwelling fish searches for food. Richard Bell, BGS \u00a9 UKRI All rights reserved. (Painting by )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">The first forests<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">During the Carboniferous, many new groups of plants evolved and great forests grew in the tropical swamps and deltas. Trees were not like those we know today, but mainly clubmosses and horsetails, and the earliest gymnosperms (seed-bearing plants) like conifers and seed ferns also developed. Conifers grew mainly on the high ground and are rarely fossilised, although cones are occasionally found. Seed ferns, the only major plant group to have become extinct, were usually small, but <\/span><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Medullosa<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0grew to about five metres tall.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25448\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25448\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25448 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Annularia.jpg\" alt=\"&lt;em&gt;Annularia&lt;\/em&gt;, the leaves of a giant Carboniferous horsetail which grew up to 16 metres high.\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25448\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Annularia<\/em>, the leaves of a giant Carboniferous horsetail which grew up to 16 m high. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-36026 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P257568_1332x690px-960x497.jpg\" alt=\"&lt;em&gt;Pecopteris&lt;\/em&gt;, a fern from the Carboniferous.\" width=\"960\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P257568_1332x690px-960x497.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P257568_1332x690px-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P257568_1332x690px.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Pecopteris<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">, a fern from the Carboniferous. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25464 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/first_forests.jpg\" alt=\"The first forests were the great tropical coal forests of the late Carboniferous (300 million years ago): tree-sized horsetails (&lt;em&gt;Calamites&lt;\/em&gt; 6), club-mosses (&lt;em&gt;Lepidodendron&lt;\/em&gt; 7), tree-ferns (&lt;em&gt;Psaronius&lt;\/em&gt; 8), and the seed ferns (&lt;em&gt;Medullosa&lt;\/em&gt; 9), rise above an undergrowth of ferns, seed ferns, herbaceous horsetails, like &lt;em&gt;Sphenophyllum&lt;\/em&gt; (10), and clubmosses. Giant Carboniferous dragonflies and amphibians inhabit the forests.\" width=\"500\" height=\"549\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">The first forests were the great tropical coal forests of the late Carboniferous (300 million years ago): tree-sized horsetails (<\/span><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Calamites<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> 6), club-mosses (<\/span><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Lepidodendron<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> 7), tree-ferns (<\/span><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Psaronius<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> 8), and the seed ferns (<\/span><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Medullosa<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> 9), rise above an undergrowth of ferns, seed ferns, herbaceous horsetails, like <\/span><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Sphenophyllum<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> (10), and clubmosses. Giant Carboniferous dragonflies and amphibians inhabit the forests. Richard Bell, BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36029\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36029\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-36029 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549464_1332x690px-960x497.jpg\" alt=\"&lt;em&gt;Calamites&lt;\/em&gt;, a horsetail stem from the Carboniferous coal forests.\" width=\"960\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549464_1332x690px-960x497.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549464_1332x690px-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549464_1332x690px.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stem of <em>Calamites<\/em>, a horsetail from the Carboniferous coal forests. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32671 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P594466_1332x690-960x497.jpg\" alt=\"The Carboniferous seed fern &lt;em&gt;Neuropteris&lt;\/em&gt; belonged to a group of plants that became extinct in the Cretaceous.\" width=\"960\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P594466_1332x690-960x497.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P594466_1332x690-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P594466_1332x690.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Carboniferous seed fern <em>Neuropteris<\/em> belonged to a group of plants that became extinct in the Cretaceous. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">Wealden woodlands<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Gymnosperms dominated the plant kingdom during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Conifers continued to thrive and cycads and ginkgos spread throughout the world. By the Jurassic, cycads and cycad-like plants (cycadeoids) were abundant and widespread. Some cycadeoids had what look like flowers, but these were in fact petal-like scales for seed dispersal rather than pollination. Ginkgos, or maidenhairs, grew throughout the northern hemisphere until the end of the Cretaceous, when they began to disappear, so that only a single species, in the forests of western China, is left today.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32845\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32845\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32845 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549462_1332x690-960x497.jpg\" alt=\"A ginkgo leaf from the Jurassic; today the last species of these deciduous trees grows up to 30 metres tall and has similar pale green, fan-shaped leaves.\" width=\"960\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549462_1332x690-960x497.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549462_1332x690-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549462_1332x690.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32845\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A ginkgo leaf from the Jurassic; today the last species of these deciduous trees grows up to 30 m tall and has similar pale green, fan-shaped leaves. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25480 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Wealden_woodlands.jpg\" alt=\"Wealden woodlands: Mesozoic plants in an early Cretaceous landscape (130 million years ago): conifers (&lt;em&gt;Pseudofrenolopsis&lt;\/em&gt; 11), cycads (&lt;em&gt;Nilssonia&lt;\/em&gt; 12), cycad-like plants (&lt;em&gt;Otozamites&lt;\/em&gt; 13) and (&lt;em&gt;Pseudocycas&lt;\/em&gt; 14), and tree ferns (&lt;em&gt;Tempskya&lt;\/em&gt; 15) abound. Small ferns like &lt;em&gt;Weichselia&lt;\/em&gt; (16) form the undergrowth. Horsetails (&lt;em&gt;Equisetites&lt;\/em&gt; 17), non-vascular liverworts (&lt;em&gt;Hepaticites&lt;\/em&gt; 18) and clubmosses (&lt;em&gt;Selaginellites&lt;\/em&gt; 19) grow in the wetter areas. The herbiverous dinosaur &lt;em&gt;Iguanadon&lt;\/em&gt; feeds on the Wealden plants.\" width=\"500\" height=\"425\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Wealden woodlands: Mesozoic plants in an early Cretaceous landscape (130 million years ago): conifers (<em>Pseudofrenolopsis<\/em> 11), cycads (<em>Nilssonia<\/em> 12), cycad-like plants (<em>Otozamites<\/em> 13) and (<em>Pseudocycas<\/em> 14), and tree ferns (<em>Tempskya<\/em> 15) abound. Small ferns like <em>Weichselia<\/em> (16) form the undergrowth. Horsetails (<em>Equisetites<\/em> 17), non-vascular liverworts (<em>Hepaticites<\/em> 18) and clubmosses (<em>Selaginellites<\/em> 19) grow in the wetter areas. The herbiverous dinosaur <em>Iguanadon<\/em> feeds on the Wealden plants. Richard Bell, BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">The Earth blooms<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Flowering plants (angiosperms) are the most successful plants to have evolved. Of the 300 000 species of plants in the world today, about 250 000 are angiosperms. Their diversification started in tropical regions during the Cretaceous and, by the Palaeogene, they had spread globally.<\/p>\n<p>The oldest known fossil angiosperms were found in Early Cretaceous rocks in America and Russia. They are known from their leaves, pollen, seeds, branches, etc., but not their blooms. Flowers are short-lived, delicate and rarely fossilised. The oldest known petals come from middle Cretaceous rocks in North America and are related to <em>Magnolia<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25487\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25487\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25487 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Earth_blooms.jpg\" alt=\"The Earth blooms in the Palaeogene forest (about 50 million years ago): mangroves (&lt;em&gt;Bruguiera&lt;\/em&gt; 20 and &lt;em&gt;Nipa&lt;\/em&gt; 21) grow in wet areas. Inland, &lt;em&gt;Pinus&lt;\/em&gt; (22), &lt;em&gt;Platycarya&lt;\/em&gt; (23), &lt;em&gt;Nothofagus&lt;\/em&gt; (24), &lt;em&gt;Cinnamomum&lt;\/em&gt; (25), &lt;em&gt;Meliosma&lt;\/em&gt; (26), &lt;em&gt;Corylopsis&lt;\/em&gt; (27) and &lt;em&gt;Mastixia&lt;\/em&gt; (28) grow with a ground cover of ferns. Flowering plants flourish such as &lt;em&gt;Magnolia&lt;\/em&gt; (29), &lt;em&gt;Oncoba&lt;\/em&gt; (30), &lt;em&gt;Rubus&lt;\/em&gt; (31), &lt;em&gt;Hibbertia&lt;\/em&gt; (32) and &lt;em&gt;Uveria&lt;\/em&gt; (33). Birds and mammals are now widespread.\" width=\"500\" height=\"532\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25487\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Earth blooms in the Palaeogene forest (about 50 million years ago): mangroves (<em>Bruguiera<\/em> 20 and Nipa 21) grow in wet areas. Inland, <em>Pinus<\/em> (22), <em>Platycarya<\/em> (23), <em>Nothofagus<\/em> (24), <em>Cinnamomum<\/em> (25), <em>Meliosma<\/em> (26), <em>Corylopsis<\/em> (27) and <em>Mastixia<\/em> (28) grow with a ground cover of ferns. Flowering plants flourish such as <em>Magnolia<\/em> (29), <em>Oncoba<\/em> (30), <em>Rubus<\/em> (31), <em>Hibbertia<\/em> (32) and <em>Uveria<\/em> (33). Birds and mammals are now widespread. Richard Bell, BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32674 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549465_1332x690-960x497.jpg\" alt=\"A frond of &lt;em&gt;Cladophlebi&lt;\/em&gt;s, a small fern that grew amongst the large conifers and cycads in southern England during the Cretaceous.\" width=\"960\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549465_1332x690-960x497.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549465_1332x690-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549465_1332x690.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">A frond of <\/span><em style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Cladophlebis<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">, a small fern that grew amongst the large conifers and cycads in southern England during the Cretaceous. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">Gnetophytes: the last major group to evolve<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>By about 50 million years ago, more plants were similar to those of today. The last major group of gymnosperms to evolve, the Gnetophytes, is little known and comprises only three living genera:\u00a0<em>Gnetum<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Ephedra<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Welwitschia<\/em>. Pollen of this group has been found in Palaeogene and Cretaceous rocks, but its earlier distribution and origins are obscure.\u00a0<em>Welwitschia<\/em>\u00a0is an unusual plant as it lives in the Namibian desert where its only source of water is from the fog that condenses on its leaves.<\/p>\n<p>Plants have grown in Britain for over 420 million years and fossils can be found with careful search. Some of the earliest plants are found in Silurian and Devonian rocks of Wales and Scotland, and many fossils are found in the Carboniferous coalfields. Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rocks of eastern and southern England may contain fossils of plants as well as the dinosaurs that ate them. Although flowers have not been found in Britain, leaves, seeds and pollen of angiosperms occur in Cretaceous and Palaeogene rocks.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32853\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32853\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32853 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549463_1332X690-960x497.jpg\" alt=\"Laurel from the Palaeogene.\" width=\"960\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549463_1332X690-960x497.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549463_1332X690-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P549463_1332X690.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32853\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laurel from the Palaeogene of the Isle of Wight, southern England. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"evolution\">Evolution of plants<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/evolutionOfMainPlants_1332x690.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;The evolution of the main members of the Plant Kingdom through geological periods and time (left) and its relationship with the Algae. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_58522\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/evolutionOfMainPlants_1332x690-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur\" alt=\"The evolution of the main members of the Plant Kingdom through geological periods and time (left) and its relationship with the Algae. The four evolutionary scenes shown overleaf are indicated.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/evolutionOfMainPlants_1332x690-497x960.jpg\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>The evolution of the main members of the Plant Kingdom through geological periods and time (left) and its relationship with the Algae. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/evolutionOfMainPlants_1332x690.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;The evolution of the main members of the Plant Kingdom through geological periods and time (left) and its relationship with the Algae. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_58522\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Algae and fungi<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Plants evolved from green algae, but there is some disagreement as to whether algae are plants or not. Some algae are formed of a single cell and are not plants, but some seaweeds, like the green algae (chlorophytes), behave like plants and some people consider them to be members of the plant kingdom. However, algae do not develop from an embryo and many scientists regard them as being part of the protoctista kingdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We tend to think of fungi, such as mushrooms and toadstools, as being plants&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;but they are not. They neither grow from embryos nor photosynthesise and are put in a separate kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fun-fact\">Fun facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fossil birds&#8217; nests?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>About 150 million years ago, during the late Jurassic, large cycads grew in Dorset. These were buried beneath sediment and eventually fossilised, but some of the tree stumps are now exposed again. Weathering has hollowed out the central part of the trunk to form bowl shapes up to 1&nbsp;m in diameter. These cycads were thought of as fossil crows&#8217; nests for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/crows_nest-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur\" alt=\"A &#039;crow&#039;s nest&#039;, from the Latest Jurassic Fossil Forest at Lulworth Cove, Dorset.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/crows_nest.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>A &#8216;crow&#8217;s nest&#8217;, from the latest Jurassic fossil forest at Lulworth Cove, Dorset. I P Wilkinson, BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fossil tree stumps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For many years, the roots and stems of Carboniferous club mosses (<em>Stigmaria<\/em>) were thought to be fossil serpents or fish. Fossil tree stumps and&nbsp;<em>Stigmaria<\/em>&nbsp;can be seen in their position of growth in Fossil Grove, Glasgow.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fossilised_Grove_P219031.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;The Fossil Grove, Victoria Park, Whiteinch, Glasgow. Natural casts of lower rooted portions of &lt;em&gt;Lepidodendron&lt;\/em&gt; trees, of early Carboniferous age. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_16747\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fossilised_Grove_P219031-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur\" alt=\"The Fossil Grove&#039;, Victoria Park, Whiteinch, Glasgow. Natural casts of lower rooted portions of Lepidodendron trees, of Lower Carboniferous age.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fossilised_Grove_P219031-960x497.jpg\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>The Fossil Grove, Victoria Park, Whiteinch, Glasgow. Natural casts of lower rooted portions of <em>Lepidodendron<\/em> trees, of early Carboniferous age. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fossilised_Grove_P219031.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;The Fossil Grove, Victoria Park, Whiteinch, Glasgow. Natural casts of lower rooted portions of &lt;em&gt;Lepidodendron&lt;\/em&gt; trees, of early Carboniferous age. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_16747\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3d-fossil\"> 3D fossil models<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P886079_1332X690.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sphenopteris coriacea&lt;\/em&gt; Marrat. (Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian.) See 3D fossils online. GB3D Type Fossils. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_94381\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P886079_1332X690-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur\" alt=\"Sphenopteris coriacea Marrat. (LIVCM 8.7.70.AC \u2013 Holotype.) Pennsylvanian Subperiod (Carboniferous Period) (298.9 \u2013 323.2 Ma B.P.) See 3D fossils online. GB3D Type Fossils.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P886079_1332X690-960x497.jpg\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><em>Sphenopteris coriacea<\/em> Marrat. (Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian.) See 3D fossils online. GB3D Type Fossils. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P886079_1332X690.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sphenopteris coriacea&lt;\/em&gt; Marrat. (Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian.) See 3D fossils online. GB3D Type Fossils. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_94381\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Many of the fossils in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-data\/national-geological-repository\/palaeontology-collections\/\">BGS palaeontology collections<\/a>&nbsp;are available to view and download as 3D models. Click on the caption to view this fossil as a 3D model or go to the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.3d-fossils.ac.uk\/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">GB3D Type Fossils<\/a>&nbsp;website for further information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Wilkinson, I P. 1999. Plants: fossil focus. (Nottingham, UK: <em>British Geological Survey<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<section   id=\"latest-content-8199-block_5ed4f084cd769\" class=\"grid-section  primary-background   \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row header-of-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>You may also be interested in<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row grid-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t<div class=\"cards cards-orizontal-sm  cards-find-more  cards-bordered\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/feature_homepage_p815563-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur wp-post-image\" alt=\"Ammonite p815563\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/feature_homepage_p815563.jpg\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"info\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/\">Discovering Geology<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Discovering Geology introduces a range of geoscience topics to school-age students and learners of all ages.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/\">Show more<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t<div class=\"cards cards-orizontal-sm  cards-find-more  cards-bordered\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/fishThroughTime-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur wp-post-image\" alt=\"fishThroughTime\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/fishThroughTime.jpg\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"info\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/\">Fossils and geological time<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Take a look at the history of the Earth, from its formation over four and a half billion years ago to present times.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/\">Show more<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t<div class=\"cards cards-orizontal-sm  cards-find-more  cards-bordered\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/fossils\/\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/P550300-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur wp-post-image\" alt=\"P550300\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/P550300.jpg\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"info\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/fossils\/\">Fossils<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>What is a fossil and why do we study them? Explore the different methods of fossil preservation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/discovering-geology\/fossils-and-geological-time\/fossils\/\">Show more<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":36339,"parent":16685,"menu_order":31,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"10174,21358,17664,21380,33241,10140","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Plants - British Geological Survey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Members of the Plant Kingdom grow from an embryo into a multicellular organism with cellulose in their walls. 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