Plant fossil structure and preservation

On this page will discuss the type of fossil material that makes up what we know about plant evolution.

Palaeobotany is the study of plant fossils. Plants are known as fossils from many localities across the globe, and their preservation is rarer than that of hard shelled invertebratea and vertebrate skeletal structure. The fossilisation of a plant is dependant on that plants structure and mineral content and the locality. An important factor in the fine preservation of plant material is the absence of oxygen.

Wikipedia articles

 * Cooksonia
 * Evolutionary history of plants

Resources

 * Chapter 10 Life of the Paleozoic by Harold L. Levin, interscience.wiley.com
 * Minguasha National Park section on fossil plants and a little on their evolution., sepaq.com