Geological Timeline of Plant Kingdom Evolution
| Era / Period | Time (MYA) | Event / Plant Group |
|---|---|---|
| Precambrian | ~3500 MYA | First photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria — prokaryotes) |
| Precambrian | ~1000 MYA | First eukaryotic algae (green, red, brown lineages diverge) |
| Ordovician | ~470 MYA | First land plants (bryophyte-like organisms) colonise land |
| Silurian | ~430 MYA | First vascular plants (ancestral pteridophytes — Cooksonia) |
| Devonian | ~380 MYA | Diversification of pteridophytes; first forests of tree ferns |
| Carboniferous | ~350-300 MYA | Peak of pteridophyte dominance — giant tree ferns, Calamites, Lepidodendron; formation of coal deposits |
| Permian | ~290 MYA | Decline of tree ferns; gymnosperms become dominant |
| Triassic | ~230 MYA | Cycads abundant; Ginkgo lineage established |
| Jurassic | ~150 MYA | Gymnosperms dominant; earliest angiosperms appear |
| Cretaceous | ~130 MYA | Angiosperms rapidly diversify; flowers and pollinators co-evolve |
| Cenozoic | ~65 MYA - Present | Angiosperms dominate; present-day flora established |
NEET-Relevant Timeline Facts
- Carboniferous period → Tree ferns form coal (tested in ecology context)
- Living fossils: Ginkgo (Jurassic survivor), Cycas (ancient lineage)
- Angiosperms are evolutionarily the MOST RECENT plant group
- Bryophytes are among the oldest land plant lineages still surviving