Caytoniales
| Caytoniales Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Fig.1 A whole-plant reconstruction of Caytonia nathorstii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | †Pteridospermatophyta |
| Order: | †Caytoniales Gothan, 1932 |
| Family: | †Caytoniaceae Kräusel, 1926 |
| Form genera | |
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The Caytoniales (Figs. 1-2) are an extinct order of seed plants known from fossils collected throughout the Mesozoic Era, around 252 to 66 million years ago. They are regarded as seed ferns because they are seed-bearing plants with fern-like leaves. Although at one time considered angiosperms because of their berry-like cupules, that hypothesis was later disproven. Nevertheless, some authorities consider them likely ancestors or close relatives of angiosperms. The origin of angiosperms remains unclear, and they cannot be linked with any known seed plants groups with certainty.