Paleobotany

Study of organic evolution of plants based on fossils

Paleobotany or palaeobotany, also known as paleophytology, is the branch of botany and paleontology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant fossils from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeography), and the evolutionary history of plants, with a bearing upon the evolution of life in general. It is a component of palaeontology and paleobiology. The prefix palaeo- or paleo- means "ancient, old", and is derived from the Greek adjective παλαιός, palaios.

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