The
morphology of these microfossils suggests an affinity
with extant liverworts, although the first macrofossils
of liverworts appear only in the Middle Devonian,
around 390 Ma [17]. The first land plant macrofossils,
represented by the sporophytes of Cooksonia and similar
forms, appear on older Mid–Late Silurian strata,
around 425 Ma [14,18].