The fossil dates from the Lower Devonian period, around 400 million years ago, and consists of spores contained within a forked structure which looks a little like part of the reproductive apparatus of a living liverwort called Riccia. (newscientist.com)
Normally, the female reproductive structures of the umbrella liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha) clutch the spermy droplets beneath their fronds around the stems. (sciencenews.org)
Glistening in the humid enclosure are species representing key events during 500 million years of plant evolution — from primitive liverworts and velvety mosses through horsetails, ferns, and conifers, on up to the flowering plants. (sciencemag.org)