Pteridophyta

A pteridophyte is a vascular plant with xylem and phloem that reproduces by means of spores. Because pteridophytes produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are sometimes referred to as "cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction is hidden.

Pteridophyta

Uncredited · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
fernPBDB
Sits inside
TracheophytaPBDB
Diet
"photoautotroph"PBDB, for Streptophyta

Time the record covers

At least 417 million years on record.

The record covers at least 419.62 Mya to 1.8 Mya. No occurrence read is dated outside 443.1 Mya to 0 Mya.

Ordovician — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesSilurian — about 2 of 12000 occurrencesDevonian — about 246 of 12000 occurrencesDevonianCarboniferous — about 2236 of 12000 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 1967 of 12000 occurrencesPermianEarly Triassic — about 217 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 254 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 1687 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Jurassic — about 1680 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 1758 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 908 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 227 of 12000 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 38 of 12000 occurrencesPaleocene — about 93 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 429 of 12000 occurrencesOligocene — about 62 of 12000 occurrencesMiocene — about 172 of 12000 occurrencesPliocene — about 15 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 10 of 12000 occurrences452–437 Mya — about 0.5 occurrences437–422 Mya — about 1 occurrence422–407 Mya — about 5 occurrences407–392 Mya — about 16 occurrences392–377 Mya — about 147 occurrences377–362 Mya — about 67 occurrences362–347 Mya — about 221 occurrences347–331 Mya — about 264 occurrences331–316 Mya — about 316 occurrences316–301 Mya — about 1180 occurrences301–286 Mya — about 802 occurrences286–271 Mya — about 455 occurrences271–256 Mya — about 647 occurrences256–241 Mya — about 648 occurrences241–226 Mya — about 776 occurrences226–211 Mya — about 571 occurrences211–196 Mya — about 878 occurrences196–181 Mya — about 908 occurrences181–166 Mya — about 1825 occurrences166–151 Mya — about 797 occurrences151–136 Mya — about 473 occurrences136–121 Mya — about 53 occurrences121–105 Mya — about 120 occurrences105–90 Mya — about 15 occurrences90–75 Mya — about 21 occurrences75–60 Mya — about 28 occurrences60–45 Mya — about 368 occurrences45–30 Mya — about 152 occurrences30–15 Mya — about 89 occurrences15–0 Mya — about 158 occurrences419.62 Mya1.8 Mya452 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Pteridophyta on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 829 formations

Carbondale — 38.18°N, 87.33°WCarbondale — 41.00°N, 88.00°WCarbondale — 40.00°N, 90.00°WCarbondale — 40.00°N, 88.00°WCarbondale — 39.00°N, 87.00°WLost Branch — 37.19°N, 95.42°WLost Branch — 37.83°N, 94.98°WPottsville — 33.82°N, 87.42°WPottsville — 33.00°N, 87.00°WCape Stewart — 70.50°N, 22.60°WSaltwick — 54.40°N, 1.00°WSaltwick — 54.50°N, 0.75°WSaltwick — 54.30°N, 0.40°WSaltwick — 54.50°N, 1.00°WMolteno — 29.50°S, 29.50°EMolteno — 30.50°S, 29.00°EMolteno — 28.57°S, 29.05°EMolteno — 31.10°S, 26.50°EMolteno — 31.50°S, 28.00°EMolteno — 30.80°S, 26.88°EMolteno — 30.53°S, 26.90°EMolteno — 31.48°S, 26.47°EMolteno — 31.47°S, 26.43°EMolteno — 30.90°S, 26.72°EMolteno — 31.50°S, 27.92°EMolteno — 31.47°S, 26.83°EMolteno — 31.57°S, 26.22°EMolteno — 31.52°S, 26.90°EMolteno — 30.68°S, 28.52°EMolteno — 31.50°S, 27.00°EMolteno — 31.05°S, 26.80°EMolteno — 31.57°S, 26.27°EMolteno — 30.00°S, 29.00°EMolteno — 30.60°S, 26.95°EMolteno — 30.72°S, 26.93°EMolteno — 31.53°S, 26.23°EMolteno — 30.48°S, 27.10°EMolteno — 30.68°S, 26.95°EMolteno — 31.62°S, 27.52°EShanxi — 39.90°N, 111.80°EShanxi — 34.30°N, 116.90°EShanxi — 37.80°N, 112.20°EShanxi — 39.60°N, 111.00°EShanxi — 40.00°N, 116.20°EShanxi — 38.00°N, 114.00°EShanxi — 41.80°N, 126.50°EShanxi — 35.20°N, 109.90°EShanxi — 34.20°N, 113.50°EShanxi — 34.20°N, 117.20°EShanxi — 38.80°N, 105.60°EShanxi — 41.20°N, 123.80°EShanxi — 39.40°N, 121.80°EShanxi — 40.70°N, 120.80°EShanxi — 38.80°N, 99.60°EShanxi — 38.50°N, 102.20°EShanxi — 35.70°N, 106.60°EShanxi — 38.20°N, 106.40°EShanxi — 36.00°N, 106.30°EShanxi — 36.80°N, 118.10°EShanxi — 39.40°N, 111.00°EShanxi — 35.10°N, 117.20°EWillwood — 44.00°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.16°N, 108.55°WWillwood — 44.17°N, 108.48°WWillwood — 44.29°N, 108.05°WWillwood — 44.00°N, 107.00°WWillwood — 44.00°N, 109.00°WWillwood — 44.45°N, 108.22°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.33°WWillwood — 44.28°N, 108.05°WWillwood — 44.00°N, 110.00°WWillwood — 44.40°N, 108.84°WSpoon — 40.00°N, 88.00°WSanta Clara — 28.58°N, 109.66°WSanta Clara — 28.57°N, 110.21°WSanta Clara — 28.51°N, 110.19°WSanta Clara — 28.56°N, 109.34°WSanta Clara — 28.55°N, 109.35°WSanta Clara — 28.50°N, 109.50°WSanta Clara — 28.57°N, 109.21°WSanta Clara — 28.56°N, 110.13°WSanta Clara — 28.58°N, 109.63°WWild Cow — 35.00°N, 106.67°WWild Cow — 34.75°N, 106.25°WSteierdorf — 45.08°N, 21.85°EPocono — 41.82°N, 78.28°WPocono — 40.64°N, 78.40°WPocono — 40.50°N, 78.48°WPocono — 41.23°N, 77.60°WPocono — 40.68°N, 76.18°WPocono — 41.43°N, 79.45°WPocono — 40.86°N, 75.74°WPocono — 40.18°N, 76.18°WPocono — 40.54°N, 76.50°WPocono — 40.56°N, 76.50°WPocono — 40.17°N, 78.25°WPocono — 38.47°N, 79.10°WPocono — 39.62°N, 78.10°WPocono — 41.03°N, 78.44°WPocono — 41.42°N, 78.73°WPocono — 40.87°N, 75.78°WPocono — 41.25°N, 78.65°WPocono — 41.33°N, 74.10°WPocono — 41.25°N, 78.63°WWasatch — 41.82°N, 108.03°WWasatch — 41.69°N, 108.20°WWasatch — 41.93°N, 108.00°WWasatch — 41.16°N, 108.93°WWasatch — 42.33°N, 108.22°WWasatch — 41.72°N, 107.80°WWasatch — 41.69°N, 107.88°WWasatch — 41.83°N, 108.38°WWasatch — 41.92°N, 108.17°WKootenai — 47.48°N, 111.37°WSan Fernando — 4.90°N, 73.02°WEstcourt — 28.33°S, 29.33°EEstcourt — 28.50°S, 29.17°EEstcourt — 28.67°S, 29.17°EEstcourt — 28.67°S, 29.33°EEstcourt — 28.83°S, 29.67°EEstcourt — 29.00°S, 29.83°EEstcourt — 29.17°S, 30.00°EEstcourt — 29.17°S, 30.17°EEstcourt — 29.50°S, 30.17°EEstcourt — 29.50°S, 30.00°EEstcourt — 29.80°S, 29.79°EEstcourt — 28.50°S, 32.00°ETaiyuan — 40.00°N, 118.00°ETaiyuan — 39.90°N, 111.80°ETaiyuan — 37.50°N, 105.20°ETaiyuan — 41.80°N, 126.50°ETaiyuan — 35.50°N, 110.40°ETaiyuan — 37.50°N, 114.60°ETaiyuan — 40.00°N, 116.20°ETaiyuan — 39.60°N, 111.00°ETaiyuan — 34.70°N, 116.60°ETaiyuan — 39.70°N, 106.80°ETaiyuan — 38.80°N, 99.60°ETaiyuan — 34.20°N, 113.50°ETaiyuan — 41.20°N, 123.80°ETaiyuan — 41.60°N, 119.70°ETaiyuan — 38.80°N, 105.60°ETaiyuan — 38.20°N, 106.40°ETaiyuan — 36.80°N, 118.10°EFort Union — 45.00°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 44.91°N, 109.03°WFort Union — 44.00°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 44.00°N, 108.00°WFort Union — 46.47°N, 103.85°WFort Union — 46.28°N, 103.81°WFort Union — 46.02°N, 103.76°WFort Union — 41.55°N, 109.26°WFort Union — 41.55°N, 109.26°WFort Union — 41.33°N, 109.24°WFort Union — 41.46°N, 108.71°WFort Union — 41.57°N, 108.58°WFort Union — 42.28°N, 108.11°WFort Union — 41.16°N, 108.93°WFort Union — 41.14°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 41.51°N, 108.65°WFort Union — 41.14°N, 109.06°WBerge Suite — 66.10°N, 123.70°EBerge Suite — 63.80°N, 127.40°EBerge Suite — 64.50°N, 125.80°EBerge Suite — 64.90°N, 124.60°EBerge Suite — 63.50°N, 118.80°EBerge Suite — 63.60°N, 119.80°EGoldlauterer — 50.80°N, 10.60°EBagong — 31.10°N, 97.20°EBagong — 30.80°N, 97.50°EBagong — 31.00°N, 98.30°EDzharsu Suite — 44.20°N, 52.50°EDzharsu Suite — 44.40°N, 51.30°EDzharsu Suite — 43.10°N, 54.90°EDzharsu Suite — 43.60°N, 53.60°EDzharsu Suite — 44.20°N, 51.90°ECloughton — 54.30°N, 0.40°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Pteridophyta has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 805 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 3,782 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

568 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 543 sites for Pteridophyta, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 562 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 550 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Pteridophyta

Credit
nobody named on the record
Licence
not stated by the source
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC0 Public Domain
Commercial use
the licence allows it

Smithsonian Open Access and MorphoSource were not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itTracheophyta through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Haeckel 1875