Early plant evolution before dinosaurs
Ordovician Period (Around 470 million years ago)
The first land plants appeared during the Ordovician, consisting of tiny moss-like bryophytes. These early plants did not have true roots or leaves, but they began the important process of colonizing land. Their presence helped to alter soils and create conditions that allowed later plant groups to thrive.
Devonian Period (419-359 million years ago) - Age of plants
The Devonian is known as the Age of Plants due to the emergence of the first vascular plants, which developed specialized tissues called xylem and phloem for water and nutrient transport. Ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails spread widely across land. Tall trees such as Archaeopteris formed the first true forests, providing complex habitats. By the late Devonian, early seed plants, the precursors to modern gymnosperms, began to appear.
carboniferous Period (359-299 million years ago)
The Carboniferous saw the rise of vast swamp forests dominated by giant horsetails, lycophytes, and ferns. These dense, waterlogged forests would later become the source of major coal deposits. Conifers also made their first appearance during this time, setting the stage for gymnosperm dominance in later periods.
Permian Period (299–252 Million Years Ago)
The Permian period was marked by a drying climate, which caused swamp forests to decline. Gymnosperms, including conifers, cycads, and ginkgos, became the dominant plant types across much of the land. This shift prepared ecosystems for the plant communities that would exist during the age of dinosaurs.
plants during the dinosaur era (mesozoic)
Triassic Period (252–201 Million Years Ago)
Following the Permian extinction, the Triassic landscape was recovering, and plant life began to stabilize. Cycads, conifers, and ginkgos spread across the continents, forming the primary habitats for early dinosaurs. Gymnosperm forests dominated the landscape, providing food and shelter for these first large terrestrial reptiles.
Jurassic Period (201–145 Million Years Ago)
The Jurassic period featured a warm and moist climate that supported lush vegetation. Cycads, conifers, and ginkgos continued to dominate, while tree ferns thrived in the understory of forests. Late in the Jurassic, some of the earliest ancestors of flowering plants may have begun to evolve, though they were still rare and not yet widespread.
Cretaceous Period (145–66 Million Years Ago)
The Cretaceous period brought the rise of flowering plants, or angiosperms, around 130 million years ago. These plants diversified rapidly and spread across most habitats by 100 million years ago. Dinosaurs now lived among flowering plants, early grasses, and fruit-bearing species. Conifers, cycads, and ferns remained common, but their dominance began to decline as flowering plants expanded.
After the Dinosaurs (Cenozoic, 66 Million Years Ago to Present)
After the asteroid impact that ended the Cretaceous, many gymnosperm groups declined, and flowering plants became the dominant vegetation across nearly all ecosystems. Grasses spread widely by about 30 million years ago, creating savannas and grasslands that shaped the evolution of many modern animals. Some ancient plant lineages, including cycads, ginkgo, conifers, and tree ferns, survived but became much less common than during the Mesozoic.
Key Dinosaur-Era Plants That Still Exist Today
Cycads, which resemble modern palms, are ancient seed plants that were widespread during the age of dinosaurs. Ginkgo biloba is the only surviving species of its group and has remained largely unchanged since the Jurassic period. Conifers, including pines, redwoods, and sequoias, were major components of dinosaur-era forests and continue to thrive today. Tree ferns, once common in the understory of Mesozoic forests, still grow in tropical and subtropical regions.