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Lepidodendron is an extinct genus of tree-like lycophytes ('scale trees') that grew in Carboniferous wetland coal forests, reaching up to about 50 m tall. It is not grown today, so there are no living plants to care for.
Lepidodendron, from Ancient Greek λεπίς (lepís), meaning "scale", and δένδρον (déndron), meaning "tree", is an extinct genus of primitive lycopodian vascular plants belonging to the order Lepidodendrales (also called "arborescent lycophytes"). Like other Lepidodendrales, species of Lepidodendron grew as large-tree-like plants in wetland coal forest environments. They sometimes reached heights of 50 metres (160 feet), and the trunks were often over 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter. They are often known as "scale trees", due to their bark having been covered in diamond-shaped leaf-bases, from which the needle-like leaves grew during earlier stages of growth. They thrived during the Carboniferous Period (358.9 to 298.9 million years ago), and persisted until the end of the Permian around 252 million years ago (though Permian remains may be better assigned to other lepiodendralean genera).
The lack of growth rings and dormant buds indicates no seasonal growth patterns, and modern plants with similar characteristics tend to grow in tropical conditions. However, Lepidodendron species were distributed throughout subtropical regions. The lycopsid inhabited an extensive area compared to tropical flora of the same time period, with lycopods growing as far north as Spitsbergen and as far south as South America, in a latitudinal range of 120°.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lepidodendron by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
