'' During the Campanian–Maastrichtian, the Antarctic Peninsula supported temperate, humid forests dominated by podocarps, araucarian conifers, and a diversifying group of angiosperms. Key angiosperm families included
Nothofagaceae,
Monimiaceae,
Cunoniaceae,
Proteaceae,
Myrtaceae,
Lauraceae,
Atherospermataceae,
Winteraceae, and extinct
Sassafras-like forms. Another important group is
Asteraceae, with
Dasyphyllum-like pollen, the oldest fossils ever found for the family. At The Naze area,
Podocarpaceae-
Nothofagus rainforests thriving in lowland areas under cool-temperate, frost-free, and high-rainfall conditions, with understories rich in other angiosperms and ferns. Smaller components, likely endemic, included lycophytes, bryophytes,
Proteaceae,
Liliaceae,
Palmae or
Microthyriaceae, and various herbaceous or shrubby dicotyledons. Forests were structurally similar to modern
Valdivian temperate forests. These plants were primarily found in riparian floodplains, with bryophyte-lycophyte rich swamps and
Chlorophyta-rich lake margins, while influence of marine waters can be seen by
Dinoflagellates. The climate was highly humid and seasonal, as evidenced by distinct growth rings in
Agathoxylon fossil wood from Lachman Crags and The Naze, indicating a temperate but variable environment. The flora reflects a transition from gymnosperm-dominated to mixed angiosperm-conifer ecosystems under polar greenhouse conditions.
Pteridophytes, Lycophytes, and Bryophytes Gymnosperms (Conifers) Angiosperms == See also ==