How did Lepidodendron reproduce?

Lepidodendron reproduced through the production of spores. These plants utilized two distinct types of spores: megaspores, which developed into female (egg-producing) gametophytes, and microspores, which developed into male (sperm-producing) gametophytes.1

These reproductive structures were often organized into cones (strobili), which are tight aggregations of spore-bearing leaves known as sporophylls. In some genera, these cones were produced at the tips of branches, a pattern that suggests the plants may have been monocarpic, meaning they could reproduce only once in their lifetime. While some related lycopsids, such as Lepidophloios, evolved a tissue layer around the megasporangium that resembled a seed, this feature was an independently derived trait within the lycopsid lineage rather than a true seed.12