The fossil record of the bryophytes

This review summarises the fossil record of bryophytes, including the record from Australia. Bryophytes, especially mosses produce distinctive fossils that often can be identified quite precisely. For unknown reasons, the Mesozoic and Palaeozoic records are dominated by hepatics, whereas the more recent (Cenozoic) records are dominated by mosses. The fossil record suggests relatively slow evolution of bryophytes, with most Cainozoic records attributable to extant genera (and sometimes species).