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Steinhardt Conservatory: Trail of Evolution
Through plant specimens and interpretive materials, the Trail of Evolution traces the development of plant life from its origin four billion years ago to the present day.
Beginning with some of the most ancient groups of plants— organisms, algae, mosses, liverworts, horsetails and club mosses— passes through the period when dinosaurs coexisted with ferns and primitive gymnosperms, such as cycads. Real and replicated fossils of plants and animals exemplify many of the pieces of the evolution puzzle.
In the section on the modern era, flowering plants proliferate, showing the explosion in plant diversity that occurred with the development of the flower and enclosed fruit.
The interpretive information for the Trail of Evolution is presented on a continuous panel with text, fossils, graphics, and a timeline relating to the display. Hand-carved "rock" and real rock in this exhibit depict anthracite coal, fractured sandstone, shales, granite boulders, and clays.
Map of the Garden
The Steinhardt Conservatory is indicated by the orange box. Click on the map to visit other locations in the Garden, or click here to view a larger map.
