Fossil plant research presented in 2025 includes new taxa that were described during the year, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleobotany that occurred in 2025.
Algae Charophytes Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesOvoidites rigidusSp. novValidZavattieri & GutiérrezLate TriassicPotrerillos FormationA zygnematacean green alga.TarimocharaGen. et sp. novValidLiu et al.Ordovician (Katian)A member of the family Charophyceae. Genus includes new species T. miraclensis.
Chlorophytes Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesArchaeobatophora gulliverensisSp. novValidLoDucaSilurian (Telychian)Schoolcraft Formation()ArchaeodunaliellaGen. et sp. novZhu et al.Carboniferous–Permian (Kasimovian–Asselian)Fengcheng FormationA member of the family Dunaliellaceae. The type species is A. junggarensis.Bakalovaella xizangensisComb. novValid(Mu)Early Cretaceous (Aptian)Langshan FormationA member of Dasycladales belonging to the family Dasycladaceae; moved from Heteroporella xizangensis Mu (1986).ChaetomorphiumGen. et sp. novLi & ZhangCambrianA member of the total group of Cladophorales. Genus includes new species C. cambria.Earltonella swinehartiiSp. novValidLoDucaSilurian (Telychian)Schoolcraft Formation()Goniolina tatrarumSp. novValidBarattolo & BucurEarly Jurassic (Sinemurian-Pliensbachian)A member of Dasycladales belonging to the family Bornetellaceae.Morelletpora sinicaSp. novValidSchlagintweit, Xu & ZhangLate Cretaceous (Campanian)Yigeziya FormationA member of Dasycladales belonging to the family Triploporellaceae.SchlagintweitellaGen. et sp. novValidBucur, Săsăran & PleşLate Jurassic (probably Tithonian)A member of Dasycladales belonging to the family Triploporellaceae. The type species is S. inopinata.Similiclypeina langshanensisSp. novValidSun, Schlagintweit & LiEarly Cretaceous (Aptian)Langshan FormationA member of Dasycladales belonging to the family Polyphysaceae.Suppiluliumaella schlagintweitiiSp. novValidBarattolo et al.Early CretaceousA member of Dasycladales.Triploporella loducaiSp. novValidBarattolo et al.Early CretaceousA member of Dasycladales.
Rhodophytes Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesAntiquifosliellaGen. et sp. novVinn in Vinn et al.Ordovician (Katian)A red alga belonging to the family Corallinaceae. The type species is A. tinnae.Masloviporidium crassimuriSp. novBrenckle & ShengCarboniferous (Serpukhovian)Kinkaid Limestone()A red alga.PaleometapeyssonneliaGen. et 2 sp. novZhuang et al.OrdovicianLianglitag FormationA red alga belonging to the group Peyssonneliales. Genus includes new species P. gracilis and P. crassa.VachardiaGen. et sp. novBrenckle & ShengCarboniferous (Serpukhovian)Kinkaid Limestone()A red alga. The type species is V. multigena.
Phycological research Martín-Closas et al. (2025) report the first discovery of fossil material of members of the genus Sycidium from the Upper Devonian of Armenia, providing new information on the morphology of the utricle of the studied charophyte. A study on the reproduction of Eugonophyllum, based on fossils from the Carboniferous (Gzhelian) Maping Formation (Guizhou, China), is published by Wang et al. (2025). Evidence from the study of molecular fossil steranes from the Lower Triassic strata from Xiakou (China) and Sverdrup Basin (Canada), indicative of reorganization of marine algal communities in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic extinction event, is presented by Huang et al. (2025). Škaloud et al. publish genetics of European and punitive North American Mallomonas intermedia testing the assertion of the species as a paleoendemic. The living North American taxa were separated into a new species. The punitive M. intermedia fossils from the Eocene Horsefly shales of British Columbia were reclassified to †Mallomonas sp. and placed ancestral to the modern species group in conjunction with the Eocene Northwest Territories species †M. lancea and †M. dispar from the Giraffe Pipe locality.
Non-vascular plants
Bryophyta Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesCalymperites chenianusSp. novLi in Tan et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of the family Calymperaceae.Calymperites heinrichsianusSp. novLi & Wang in Li et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of the family Calymperaceae.Calymperites marginatusSp. novLi et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of the family Calymperaceae.Calymperites proboscideusSp. novLi in Tan et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of the family Calymperaceae.Calymperites striatusSp. novLi et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of the family Calymperaceae.Ditrichites aristatusSp. novLi in Tan et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of Dicranales sensu lato.RovnohypnumGen. et sp. novValidIgnatov in Ignatov et al.EoceneRovno amberA moss belonging to the group Hypnales and the family Pylaisiadelphaceae. The type species is R. papillosum.Sematophyllites lanceolatusComb. novValid(Frahm)EoceneBaltic amberEurope (Baltic Sea region)A moss belonging to the family Sematophyllaceae; moved from Hypnites lanceolatus Frahm (2004).Sematophyllites lodziensisSp. novValidWolskiEoceneBaltic amberEurope (Baltic Sea region)A moss belonging to the family Sematophyllaceae.Sematophyllites subflagellarisComb. novValid(Caspary & Klebs)EoceneBaltic amberEurope (Baltic Sea region)A moss belonging to the family Sematophyllaceae; moved from Dicranites subflagellare Caspary & Klebs (1907).Tricosta angeiophorosSp. novValidValois et al.Early Cretaceous (Valanginian)()A moss belonging to the family Tricostaceae. Published online in 2024; the final version of the article naming it was published in 2025.
Marchantiophyta Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesCorsiniopsisGen. et sp. novFlores & CariglinoLate TriassicPotrerillos FormationA liverwort belonging to the group Marchantiales. Genus includes new species C. kurtzii.Frullania chiapasensisSp. novValidMamontov, Feldberg, Schäfer-Verwimp & Gradstein in Feldberg et al.MioceneMexican amberA liverwort, a species of Frullania.HyponychiumGen. et sp. novPaulsen et al.EoceneAnglesea amberA liverwort belonging to the group Jungermanniales. The type species is H. pentadactylum.Marchantites elegansComb. nov(Barale & Ouaja)Moved from Hepaticites elegans Barale & Ouaja (2002).Plagiochila ikiensisSp. novValidKatagiriMioceneMonobe FormationA liverwort, a species of Plagiochila.Radula kachinensisSp. novSong, Ye & WangCretaceousKachin amberA liverwort, a species of Radula.Radula panduriformisSp. novPaulsen et al.EoceneAnglesea amberA liverwort, a species of Radula.Ricciopsis pacltovaeSp. novVeselá et al.Late CretaceousA liverwort.Thysananthus patrickmuelleriSp. novValidFeldberg, Gradstein, Schäfer-Verwimp & Mamontov in Feldberg et al.MioceneMexican amberA liverwort belonging to the group Porellales and the family Lejeuneeae.
Non-vascular plant research Evidence of impact of socio-economic and language factors on the documentation of bryophyte fossil record is presented by Blanco-Moreno, Bippus & Tomescu (2025).
Lycophytes Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesFranscinellaGen. et comb. novCarniere, Pozzebon-Silva, Guerra-Sommer, Uhl, Jasper & Spiekermann in Carniere et al.PermianA member of Lycopodiales; a new genus for "Lycopodites" riograndensis Salvi et al. (2008).Hueberia bainiuchangensisSp. novHu et al.Devonian (Pragian)Posongchong FormationA member of Drepanophycales.Selaginella jorelisiaeSp. novValidLópez-García, Schmidt & Regalado in López-García et al.MioceneDominican amberA species of Selaginella.StaphylophytonGen. et sp. novValidGensel et al.Devonian (Emsian)()A zosterophyll. Genus includes new species S. semiglobosa. Published online in 2024; the final version of the article naming it was published in 2025.Zosterophyllum baoyangenseSp. novHuang & Xue in Huang et al.Devonian (Pragian)Mangshan GroupZosterophyllum mangkeluenseSp. novWang et al.Silurian (Přídolí)Wutubulake Formation
Lycophyte research Zavialova & Polevova (2025) review the distribution of multilamellated zones in spores of extant and fossil lycopsids, and interpret their presence as possible evidence of isoetalean affinity of fossil plants, while noting that their absence does not definitively exclude the possibly of affinities with this group. Wyman et al. (2025) study the morphology of the rooting system of Oxroadia and rootlet development in extant members of the genus Isoetes, and interpret the rooting systems of rhizomorphic lycopsids as unlikely to be leafy shoots modified for rooting early in the plant development. A study on leaf cushions of Sigillaria approximata, providing evidence of independent evolution of leaf abscission in arboreous lycopsids and in euphyllophytes, is published by D'Antonio (2025).
Ferns and fern allies Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes ImagesArthropitys raimundiiSp. novValidRößler et al.PermianLeukersdorf FormationA calamitalean. Published online in 2024; the final version of the article naming it was published in 2025.Asterophyllites lubnensisSp. novClealCarboniferousKladno FormationA member of the family Calamitaceae.Claytosmunda basilicaSp. novHiller, Cheng & BomfleurLate TriassicAntarcticaA member of the family Osmundaceae.Coniopteris baojishanensisSp. novWei & Xin in Wei et al.Middle JurassicYaojie FormationA member of the family Dicksoniaceae.Coniopteris haifanggouensisSp. novLi & Tian in Li et al.Middle JurassicHaifanggou FormationA member of the family Dicksoniaceae.Cyathocarpus polinensisSp. novRodriguez Rizk & CariglinoPermian (Guadalupian)La Golondrina FormationA member of Marattiales belonging to the family Psaroniaceae.Dicksonia halleiSp. novHermsen et al.Early Cretaceous (Albian)Kachaike FormationA species of Dicksonia.Equisetum shandongensisSp. novJin et al.Early CretaceousLaiyang FormationA species of Equisetum.EscuderiaGen. et sp. novNishida et al.Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian)Possibly Williams Point BedsAntarcticaA member of the family Schizaeaceae. Genus includes new species E. livingstonensis.Hexaphyllostrobus negauneeanaSp. novD'Antonio et al.Carboniferous (Moscovian)Mazon Creek fossil beds()A sphenophyll cone.IrizaripterisGen. et sp. novValidIglesias et al.PaleoceneCross Valley-Wiman FormationAntarcticaA member of the family Dryopteridaceae belonging to the subfamily Dryopteridoideae. Genus includes new species I. antarcticus.Krameropteris calophyllumSp. novLi in Li & MengLate Cretaceous (Cenomanian)Kachin amberA member of the family Dennstaedtiaceae.Millerocaulis santamartaensisSp. novKoppelhus et al.Late CretaceousSnow Hill Island FormationAntarcticaA member of the family Osmundaceae.Polystichum espinarensisSp. novValidAliaga-Castillo et al.PlioceneA species of Polystichum. Published online in 2025; the final version of the article naming it was published in 2026.RhabdopterisGen. et sp. novHermsen et al.Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)La Colonia FormationA fern, probably with affinities with Thyrsopteridaceae. Genus includes new species R. chubutensis.Salvinia indicaSp. novAli & Khan in Ali et al.Paleocene–EoceneSubathu FormationA species of Salvinia.ShaolinopterisGen. et sp. novTian et al.Middle JurassicXinmin FormationA member of the family Dennstaedtiaceae. The type species is S. zhengii.
Pteridological research Redescription and a study on the phylogenetic affinities of Pseudobornia ursina is published by Rastier et al. (2025). New fossil material of Nemejcopteris haiwangii, providing evidence of climbing on Psaronius tree hosts, is described from Permian strata of the Taiyuan Formation in the Wuda Coalfield (Inner Mongolia, China) by Li et al. (2025).