Leaf Fossil, 250 Million Years Old
Species: Glossopteris (Gondwana Tree)
Gondwana Tree is the largest and best-known of the extinct order of seed ferns. It was a woody, seed-bearing shrub or tree, 4-6 m in height and tapered upwards like a Christmas tree. Instead of needles, they had large, tongue-shaped leaves that fell to the ground at the end of summer. They had a softwood interior that resembles conifers of the family. Seeds and pollen containing organs were borne in clusters at the tips of slender stalks attached to the leaves. Some species may have borne seeds in cone-like structures. They are believed to have grown in very wet soil conditions. The Glossopteridales arose during the Permian on the great southern continent of Gondwana. These plants went on to become a dominant part of the southern flora through the rest of the Permian and early Triassic periods, though they dwindled to extinction by the end of the Triassic.
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