| Archaeopteris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Archaeopteris hibernica | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Class: | †Progymnospermopsida |
| Order: | †Archaeopteridales |
| Family: | †Archaeopteridaceae |
| Genus: | †Archaeopteris Dawson (1871) |
Archaeopteris is anextinctgenus of progymnosperm tree withfern-like leaves. This tree is found instrata from the UpperDevonian to LowerCarboniferous.
For a while, 383 to 323 million years ago, it was the dominant tree all over the Earth.[1] They had a world-wide distribution. On all the land areas that were habitable, they all had this tree.
Until the 2007 discovery ofWattieza, many botanists thoughtArchaeopteris was the earliest known tree. It has buds, reinforced branch joints, and branched trunks similar to today'swood. It is more like modern seed-bearing trees than other spore-bearing plants. It is a bit like woody trees andherbaceous ferns. These extinct plants are sometimes called the progymnosperms. They are plants with gymnosperm-like wood but which producespores rather thanseeds.
Because it bears spores. it is an ancestor of thegymnosperms.