Fossil Alethopteris found at Foxley, Tollcross. This plant lived during the Carboniferous Period (360-290 million years ago).
Alethopteris belongs to a group of plants called seed ferns, which are now extinct. Seed ferns differ from true ferns because they have seeds, whereas true ferns reproduce themselves through minute spores which are situated on the underside of the leaves. Alethopteris was one of the first plants to have seeds.
Reference: 1896.192.ni
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
Alethopteris, Carboniferous Period, fossils, geology, seed ferns