Lepidodendron (genus of extinct lycopods)

Lepidodendron was an ancient genus of tree-sized plants known as lycopods that lived during the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago. They resembled giant ferns with tall, trunk-like stems covered in scale-like leaf scars, giving them a distinctive, textured appearance. Lepidodendron thrived in swampy forests, contributing to the large coal deposits formed from their dead remains. While they looked like trees, they are more accurately classified as ancient vascular plants related to modern club mosses. Their impressive size and abundance made them significant components of prehistoric ecosystems.