Top 5 Oldest Fossilized Trees

This ancient tree fossil is estimated to be around 385 million years old, dating back to the Devonian period in what is now North America. It was discovered in 1892 by paleontologist Charles Walcott and named "Tullimonolithus" in honor of his patron, J. Horace McLaughlin Tullimon. Tullimonolithus is one of the oldest known tree-like fossils to have been found, offering valuable insights into the evolution of early forests during this period. Its unique characteristics include a combination of woody and herbaceous tissues.

These ancient trees are estimated to be around 420 million years old, dating back to the Rhynie chert formation in Scotland. The fossilized trees were preserved in the permineralized chert, showcasing well-preserved trunks, branches, and leaves. Some of these tree fossils have been dated to within a few hundred thousand years of each other, making them significant examples of temporal stratigraphy. In 2010, researchers estimated that several types of Rhynie chert trees may have resembled modern conifers.

This early tree-like plant is estimated to be around 410 million years old, dating back to the Devonian period in what is now North America and Europe. Its fossilized remains exhibit a combination of woody and herbaceous tissues, with some specimens displaying leaf-like structures. The earliest known Cooksonia fossils were found on either side of the Great Valley of the Ouachita Mountains. In 1978, Charles H. Hickey reported discovering several new species of Cooksonia at Bitter Creek in Texas.

This ancient tree is estimated to be around 430 million years old, dating back to the Silurian period in what is now China. Its fossilized wood contains woody cells with lignin, suggesting it was a vascular plant. A small number of fossilized trunks were discovered at Xishoungou in Yunnan Province. Fossilized tree trunks from the same locality were analyzed for chemical composition to better understand early forest ecosystems.

This ancient tree-like plant is estimated to be around 420 million years old, dating back to the Devonian period in what is now Scotland. Its fossils contain both woody and herbaceous tissues, exhibiting leaf-like structures and seed pods. Some specimens display a combination of characteristics previously only observed in modern conifers. In 2013, researchers identified several species within the Rhynie agnosperm group at Cressfield Bay in Shetland, Scotland.