Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 19-1 Major Developments in Paleozoic Plant Evolution
Period
Plant Characteristic
Modern Example
Ordovician
Nonvascular
Mosses
Silurian
Vascular, land plants
Club moss
Devonian
Woody growth, leaves Equisetum (Horsetails)
Carboniferous Cones, seeds
Conifers
Figure 19-7:
Plants
common in the
Carbon-iferous
coal swamps of
the Paleozoic:
Lepido-dendron,
Sigullaria, and
Calamites.
Tracking the Geologic Events of the Paleo-
zoic
It's easy to get distracted by the abundance and diversity of life that appears and flour-
ishes during the Paleozoic. But life and evolution are influenced by the geologic pro-
cesses that are always shaping the earth's environments. The Paleozoic saw periods of
