Lepidophloios
Quick Summary
Lepidophloios is a form genus of fossil plants belonging to the family Lepidodendraceae. These ancient plants, which lived during the Carboniferous Period (approximately 359 to 299 million years ago), were tree-sized lycopsids related to modern club mosses. They could grow up to 40 meters (130 feet) tall and 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter.12
Key characteristics of Lepidophloios and its relatives include:
* Stems: Slender central wood strand with thick bark, leaving diamond-shaped leaf bases as leaves were shed.1
* Leaves: Long and thin in juvenile stages, becoming shorter and awl-shaped later.1
* Reproduction: Reproduced by spores, with specialized structures for megaspores.1
* Habitat: Thrived in the extensive peat-forming swamps of the Early and Middle Pennsylvanian epochs.1
These plants, along with other extinct lycophytes like Lepidodendron, formed the basis of the world's major coal beds.3
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
