Kingdom Plantae Class Jungermanniopsida Rank Genus | Division Marchantiophyta Species †P. devonicus Order Metzgeriales | |
Similar Metzgeriales, Blasiales, Haplomitriopsida, Metzgeriidae, Protosalvinia | ||
The lowermost Upper Devonian fossil Pallaviciniites was for a time the oldest known liverwort until Metzgeriothallus was recovered from earlier Devonian strata.
It had a central axis, and bifurcated at its tips; similar fossils have been found in younger strata through to the Pleistocene. With the exception of its elongated axial conducting (non-vascular) cells, the thallus was a single cell thick. It had a serrated margin.
Prior to its discovery, the oldest known liverworts dated to the Lower Carboniferous.
References
Pallaviciniites Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA