Calamophyton
Calamophyton Temporal range:
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Division: | Pteridophyta (?) |
Class: | †Cladoxylopsida |
Order: | †Pseudosporochnales |
Family: | †Hyeniaceae |
Genus: | †Calamophyton R.Kräusel & H.Weyland, 1925 |
Species | |
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Calamophyton is an extinct
Discovery
The genus was established in 1926 from specimens collected by
Description
The genus has been described as having an unusual—and unusually complex—
Calamophyton did not have leaves, but rather small branches consisting of twig-like structures[7] that grew only at or near the trunk apex, and which were the site of photosynthesis for the plant.[7] As the trunk grew, the lower branches would be shed; a mature tree might in the course of its growth shed as many as 700 to 800 branches,[11] creating a thick carpet of decaying twigs on the ground below, with few understory plants observed. Where other cladoxylopsids shed their branches smoothly, Calamophyton left small stubs behind on the trunk.[11]
The
Earliest-known forest
In March 2024,
According to Christopher Berry, one of the scientists involved in the discovery, the preservation of the Calamophyton fossil forest, with trees still in the positions where they grew, allows a direct, and unprecedented, examination of the local
Footnotes
References
- ^ doi:10.1086/669913. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Devlin, Hannah (7 March 2024). "World's oldest fossilised trees discovered along Devon and Somerset coast". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ JSTOR 2394614.
- ^ a b Kasper, Andrew E. Jr; Gensel, Patricia G.; Forbes, William H.; Andrews, Henry N. Jr. "Plant Paleontology in the State of Maine - A Review". Digital Maine. Maine Geological Survey. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- JSTOR 2440597. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Introduction to the Cladoxylopsida". University of California Museum of Paleontology. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ralls, Eric (7 March 2024). "World's 'newest' oldest forest, recently discovered, is full of Calamophyton trees". Earth.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b "World's oldest and most complex trees". Cardiff University. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- doi:10.1086/314267. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Irving, Michael (13 March 2024). "Strange trees in world's oldest forest ripped themselves apart to grow". New Atlas. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ . Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Barras, Colin (19 December 2019). "Scientists have discovered the world's oldest forest—and its radical impact on life". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 18 March 2024.