Carboniferous ferns – Zbuch, CZ

Locality: Zbuch, Czech republic
Weight: 114g
Dimensions: 9,2 x 6,1 x 1,9 cm

Carboniferous ferns were an important part of primeval forests that covered the Earth approximately 359 to 299 million years ago during the geological period called the Carboniferous. These forests were rich in spore-bearing plants, such as tree ferns, horsetails, and lycophytes, the remains of which today form layers of coal. Carboniferous ferns evolved in diverse forms and were part of the rich ecosystems of tropical peat bogs. The dominant plants of these forests included tree lycophytes reaching heights of 20–40 meters and tree horsetails, whose biomass constituted 60–90% of the carboniferous tropical peat bogs.