Fossil Plants

Book excerpt: "This guide to fossil plants explains the lives of these ancient plants, how they came to be fossilized, and what they may tell us about the past. Kenrick and Davis trace the evolution of land plants, ferns, and conifers and their relatives, the flowering plants. Weaving together strands from the past and present, the snapshots of ancient and modern environments are illustrated with images of fossils and their "living relatives." With photographs of the delicate pieces of shale that hold the fossils, the authors explore the hidden past of plants and uncover the breadth of form and rare beauty of plants turned to stone."--BOOK JACKET.