Britannica
Sources used in this answer
When did the earliest known liverwort fossils appear?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Bryophyte
Bryophyte moss growing on oak trees.
The earliest known liverwort fossils appear as cryptospores (sporelike structures) found in rocks in Argentina that date to between 473 million and 471 million years ago, during the early part of the Ordovician Period. These fossils represent the most ancient evidence of liverworts and are considered the earliest known record of plants colonizing land.123