Assembling extinct plants from their isolated parts

Resumen

Fossils have always
been an intriguing and spectacular source of information for
naturalists who discuss how life and diversity came about. In
plants, it is difficult to find in the fossil record all organs or
plant parts in connection to each other. Thus, many angiosperms are
sketched as undefined entities that somehow resemble an extant
relative. Nevertheless, several examples of whole plant
reconstructions based on extensive collection of fossil parts have
been published through the years. Two methods have been used to
reconstruct fossil plants: 1) Through organic connections among the
different organs, and 2) concurrent location of fossil parts (seed,
leaves, flowers, etc.) in the same locality and across localities.
In the latter case, the argument can be strengthened by similarities
of epidermal anatomy. The association of organs gives a more
complete picture of fossils plants and it can help to make better
taxonomic inferences, as they provide a morphological tool about
plants that grew in the past. This information may as well be used
in other areas, such as biogeography or phylogenetics.