Williamsoniaceae

The Williamsoniaceae were a family of extinct plants that flourished during the Jurassic Period, often referred to as the "Age of Cycads." These plants shared characteristics with modern cycads and seed ferns, and are believed to have evolved from seed-fern ancestors.1

Unlike cycads, which bear reproductive cones at the stem's tip, Williamsoniaceae produced numerous smaller cones clustered among their leaf bases. The genus Williamsonia, the most recognized member of this family, featured slender, sometimes branched stems and is known from rocks dating from the Upper Triassic to the Middle Cretaceous periods. Fossil evidence suggests these plants had frond-like leaves at their branch tips.12