Coniopteris is an extinct genus of Mesozoicfern leaves. It was widespread over both hemispheres during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, with over 130 species having been described.[1] While traditionally assumed to have been a member of Dicksoniaceae or a close relative of Thyrsopteris, a 2020 cladistic analysis found it to be a stem group of Polypodiales.[1] Most species of Coniopteris probably had a herbaceous habit.[1]Coniopteris laciniata had tufts of leaves sprouting from intervals of a thin, creeping rhizome.[2] The genus is technically a junior synonym of the little used Polystichites, but was conserved by the ICZN in 2013.[3] Some authors suggest a range of Early Jurassic-early Late Cretaceous for the genus,[1] while others suggest a more expansive range spanning from the Middle Triassic to the Eocene.[4]
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