The Intriguing Three-Dimensional Tree Fossils Reveal Early Carboniferous Tree Evolution
- 演化之聲
- Mar 14
- 4 min read
The earliest vascular plants appeared in the late Silurian, around 420 million years ago. Trees with true woody structures evolved later, emerging during the middle to late Devonian roughly 380 million years ago. During that period, several ancient plant groups already formed tall tree-like organisms. Examples include Wattieza, Archaeopteris, and Calamophyton. These plants could reach heights comparable to modern woody gymnosperms and flowering trees. Fossils of Wattieza, for instance, indicate individuals that may have grown between eight and ten meters tall.
Evidence for ancient trees often comes from indirect traces left in the sediment. Some fossils preserve impressions left in ancient soils, while others consist of mineralized stumps. Before the Carboniferous, however, such discoveries were extremely rare. Many fossilized trunks lack roots or crowns, leaving an incomplete picture of the original plant. Only later, toward the latter part of the early Carboniferous, do tree fossils become more common and better preserved, often retaining both root systems and crowns. At roughly the same time, abundant fossils of spore-bearing plants and early seed plants provide sufficient data to reconstruct what late Paleozoic forests may have looked like.
Want to read more?
Subscribe to thesoundofevolution.com to keep reading this exclusive post.
