Lepidodendron (SciiFii)

Scale trees (Lepidodendron) is a genus of primitive, vascular, tree-like plants, not trees despite their names, that originally were part of the coal forest flora from the Carboniferous Period (about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya (million years ago) and until the Late Triassic, about 205 Mya) and were once extinct, but have since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii. The scale trees come in more than 12 species, and sometimes reaches heights of 50 metres (160 feet), and the trunks are often over 1 meter (3.3 ft) in diameter, arising from an underground system of horizontally spreading branches that are covered with many rootlets. Sometimes erroneously called "giant club mosses", the genus is actually more closely related to the quillworts and lycopsids (club mosses) than to club mosses. Though the height of the scale trees make the plants similar to modern trees, the constant dichotomy of branches creates a habit that contrasts with that of true trees. At the ends of branches are oval-shaped cones that have a similar shape to cones of a spruce or fir. The leaves of the trees are needle-like and are densely spiraled about young shoots, each possessing only a single vein. The leaves are similar to those of a fir in some species and similar to those of Pinus roxburghii in others, though in general the leaves of scale tree species are indistinguishable from those of the extinct Sigillaria species. The scale trees are found in many gardens, parks, and yards as ornamental plants, however, there are feral populations of several scale tree species found throughout the swamps and rainforests of Florida, but there is no indication that they're invasive.
Category:Plants
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii