Needle-like leaves with a single vein. At the ends of branches were oval-shaped cones that had a similar shape to modern cones of a spruce or fir. These plants likely also had a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, which lived in the roots and improved nutrient and water uptake. Grew from 2 m (6.6 ft) - 50 m (160 ft), trunks 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter. Displayed constant dichotomy, meaning that whenever the tree splits in to 2 branches, those branches would be evenly sized. Grew extremely fast and tall, reaching heights of up to 160 feet in a lifespan of 10-15 years.
Lepidodendron grew as large-tree-like plants in wetland coal forest environments. It did not produce true seeds, but instead reproduced by elaborate, encapsulated spores. Photosynthesizer.
It is thought that Lepidodendron was monocarpic, it died after reproducing one time. Some scientists even hypothesize that each generation reproduced and died all at around the same times. Most of the plants that grew in swampy areas eventually fell and accumulated in large numbers to ultimately form coal, lending the name Carboniferous Period. The dominant trees of this period were the lycopods Lepidodendron and Sigillaria.
These plants became so efficient that CO2 levels plummeted and caused an ice age at the end of the carboniferous (Karoo Ice Age).
Described by Sternberg, 1820. The majority of Lepidodendron fragments are present in the Pennsylvanian Hartshorne Sandstone and McAlester Shale in the Arkansas River Valley.