Calamites

E573680

Calamites is an extinct genus of tree-like, jointed horsetail plants that formed part of the lush coal-forming forests of the Carboniferous period.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf extinct genus
fossil plant genus
sphenopsid
class Equisetopsida NERFINISHED
closelyRelatedTo Annularia (leaf form genus) NERFINISHED
Arthropitys NERFINISHED
Calamostachys (cone form genus) NERFINISHED
contributedTo formation of coal seams
division Equisetophyta NERFINISHED
ecologicalRole dominant component of Carboniferous coal swamps
environment swampy floodplains
wet lowland forests
family Calamitaceae NERFINISHED
firstAppearance Late Mississippian
fossilDistribution Asia NERFINISHED
Europe NERFINISHED
North America NERFINISHED
other parts of former Euramerica and Gondwana
fossilPart casts and molds of pith cavities
petrified stems
reproductive cones
rhizomes and roots
geologicalContext coal-forming forests
growthForm arborescent horsetail
tree-like plant
growthHabit clonal stands via rhizomes
hasCommonName Calamites horsetails
kingdom Plantae
lastAppearance Permian
leafArrangement whorled leaves at nodes
leafType small, simple leaves
maximumHeight up to about 20–30 meters
notableFeature bamboo-like appearance
large size compared to modern horsetails
order Equisetales NERFINISHED
photosyntheticOrgan green stems
relatedTo Equisetum NERFINISHED
reproduction spore-bearing cones
reproductiveStructure strobili
rootSystem rhizomatous roots
stemDiameter up to tens of centimeters
stemTexture woody
stemType jointed stem
segmented stem with nodes and internodes
supportTissue secondary xylem
taxonRank genus
temporalRange Carboniferous period NERFINISHED
Late Paleozoic NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.