Weichselia

The genus first appeared in the Middle Jurassic with remains found in North Africa and Georgia. During the Early-mid Cretaceous, the genus had a wide distribution, having been found in Europe, East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, southern North America and northern South America. The youngest remains of the genus are known from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Europe and North Africa. Remains are found in both continental and marginal marine deposits. == Ecology ==

Weichselia has been interpreted as being xeromorphic, and has been suggested that they grew in savannah and/or coastal environments. It has also been proposed that they were primary colonisers following the destruction of pre-existing vegetation, particularly after wildfires. Others have indicated that the growth strategies of Weichselia are more consistent with fire tolerance, with the plant re-sprouting from buds in their trunks after a fire. Weichselia seems to have encountered wildfires on a regular basis, as charred pieces of the plant were the most frequently sampled remains in a study of 3338 Weichselia fragments from 25 different Early Cretaceous fossil sites. Weichselia fossils have been recovered from both freshwater and brackish environments including rivers, lakes, lagoons, estuaries, deltas, and marshes. which have also yielded historically significant Iguanodon and Spinosaurus specimens respectively. It has been estimated that Weichselia could have grown to heights of around 8.57 meters (28.1 feet), however the rarity of these fronds in the fossil record has lead some to suggest that the plant may have dominantly reproduced via asexual vegetative reproduction instead. == References ==