Wattieza

Wattieza Temporal range: Middle Devonian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pteridophyta
Class:	†Cladoxylopsida
Order:	†Pseudosporochnales
Genus:	Wattieza Stockmans

Wattieza was a genus of prehistoric trees that existed in the mid-Devonian that belong to the cladoxylopsids, close relatives of the modern ferns and horsetails. The 2005 (publicly revealed in 2007) discovery in Schoharie County, New York, of fossils from the Middle Devonian (about 385 million years ago) united the crown of Wattieza to a root and trunk known since 1870, the fossilized grove of "Gilboa stumps" discovered at Gilboa, New York, which had been previously described as Eospermatopteris, though the complete plant remained unknown. These fossils have been described as the earliest known trees, standing 8 m (34 ft) or more tall, resembling the unrelated modern tree fern.^[1]

Wattieza had fronds rather than leaves,^[2] and reproduced with spores.^[1]

References

• Paleobiology Database accessed 19 April 2007
• "Oldest tree had fronds, not leaves". Article on CNN.com
• ) Michelle Carr, "Wattieza is world's oldest tree"Cosmos( 19 April 2007

Early land flora Related links Evolutionary history of plants Rhynie chert External link directory The first...? Vascular plant, Cooksonia Tree, Wattieza Lycopods, the Drepanophycales and the zosterophylls Fungus fossil, Ornatifilum Lichen, Spongiophyton Enigmatic taxa Cuticular remains: Bitelaria Cosmochlaina Nematothallus Orestovia Protosalvinia Spongiophyton Other: Pachytheca Prototaxites. Sister taxa Green algae: Charophyta, from which land plants evolved Chaetocladus, an early alga