Archaeopteris

Archaeopteris

▪ fossil plant genus
      genus of plants (plant) that was probably the first true tree to form forests (forest) during the Late Devonian Epoch (Devonian Period) (about 385 to 359 million years ago). Fossils (fossil) of Archaeopteris confirm the presence of a woody trunk and branching patterns similar to those of modern conifers (conifer), but with fernlike (fern) foliage and reproduction based on spores. The largest fossil specimens possess trunk diameters of close to 40 cm (about 16 inches). Archaeopteris reproduced by two different-sized spores (spore); the larger ones, the megaspores, produced egg cells, whereas the smaller ones, the microspores, produced sperm cells. This feature has led some authorities to believe that Archaeopteris was closely related to seed plants. This genus lived on the floodplains of rivers and in coastal lowlands until it became extinct at the end of the Devonian Period.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Archaeopteris — Radialschnitt durch das Holz von Archaeopteris (Balken = 1 mm) Zeitraum Oberes Devon bis Unteres Mississippium 385 bis 345 Mio. Jahre Systematik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Archaeopteris —  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Archaeopteryx. Archaeopteris …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Archaeopteris — Taxobox fossil range = Late Devonian Early Carboniferous regnum = Plantae divisio = Progymnospermophyta † ordo = Archaeopteridales † familia = Archaeopteridaceae † genus = Archaeopteris † subdivision ranks = Species subdivision = *† Archaeopteris …   Wikipedia

  • Archaeopteris — …   Википедия

  • Archaeopteris — Archaeọpteris,   Gattung ausgestorbener farnähnlicher Pflanzen aus dem jüngeren Devon und älteren Karbon …   Universal-Lexikon

  • archaeopteris — ar·chae·op·ter·is …   English syllables

  • archaeopteris — ˌärkēˈäptərə̇s noun Usage: capitalized Etymology: New Latin, from archae + pteris : a genus of fossil plants especially characteristic of the Devonian that were formerly regarded as ferns but are now generally included in the order… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Callixylon — Archaeopteris Radialschnitt durch das Holz von Archaeopteris (Balken = 1 mm). Zeitraum bis Ende Devon bis 335 Mio. Jahre Systematik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Progymnospermophyta — Progymnospermen Radialschnitt durch das Holz von Archaeopteris (Balken = 1 mm). Zeitraum Mittleres Devon (Eifelium) bis Unteres Mississippium ( …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Evolution: Pflanzen erobern das Festland —   Vor 400 Millionen Jahren, an der Wende vom Silur zum Devon, veränderte sich das Leben auf der Erde grundlegend. Höhere Organismen besiedelten die bis dahin lebensfeindlichen Kontinente. Als erste erschienen die »Ur Landpflanzen«, die aufgrund… …   Universal-Lexikon

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