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Horneophyton
extinct genus of early plants / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Horneophyton is a genus of early Devonian fossil land plants. Its fossils are very common in the Rhynie chert. Both the sporophyte and a female gametophyte have been found as fossils. The sporophyte was about 20 cm tall, and the gametophyte was about 6 cm tall. It is not really a vascular plant. It had vascular tissue but the cells had thin walls.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...
Horneophyton | |
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Schematic reconstruction of Horneophyton lignieri to show its growth habit | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Division: | †Horneophyta |
Class: | †Horneophytopsida |
Order: | †Horneophytales |
Family: | †Horneophytaceae Kenrick & Crane (1997) |
Genus: | †Horneophyton Bargh. & Darrah (1938) |
Species | |
†H. lignieri (Kidst. & W.H.Lang) Bargh. & Darrah (1938) | |
Synonyms | |
Hornea Kidst. & W.H.Lang (1920) non Baker |
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Horneophyton had anatomy similar to the hornworts. It is also similar to the vascular plant Rhynia which lived at the same time. It might therefore be a missing link between the Bryophytes like hornworts and the vascular plants like Rhynia.