View original imageThis is an original generative reconstruction, not a photograph or scientific plate.
129 / Mesozoic
Nilssonia
Nilssonia orientalis
Long leaves divided into broad segments formed part of the cycadophyte layer beneath Jurassic trees.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 201–145 million years ago
- Final stage
- End of the Jurassic
- Geographic range
- Temperate woodlands of East Asia
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Nilssonia?
This archive records Nilssonia under the scientific name Nilssonia orientalis, with an age of About 201–145 million years ago and a range of Temperate woodlands of East Asia. Long leaves divided into broad segments formed part of the cycadophyte layer beneath Jurassic trees.
Nilssonia was an extinct cycadophyte whose broad leaf segments attached directly to a central rachis. It shared East Asian forests with ginkgos, conifers and ferns.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Nilssonia at a glance
- Scientific name
- Nilssonia orientalis
- Age
- About 201–145 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- End of the Jurassic
- Known range
- Temperate woodlands of East Asia
- Broad group
- plant
- Archive era
- Mesozoic
- Habitat signals
- Forest
- Documented regions
- Asia
03 / ANATOMY
How was Nilssonia built?
Overall body plan
Long leaves divided into broad segments formed part of the cycadophyte layer beneath Jurassic trees.
Growth architecture
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Nilssonia, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Reproductive structures
Nilssonia was an extinct cycadophyte whose broad leaf segments attached directly to a central rachis. It shared East Asian forests with ginkgos, conifers and ferns.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Nilssonia.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Nilssonia live?
Nilssonia was an extinct cycadophyte whose broad leaf segments attached directly to a central rachis. It shared East Asian forests with ginkgos, conifers and ferns. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on plant communities, soils, water availability and climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Nilssonia live?
This archive currently lists About 201–145 million years ago; Temperate woodlands of East Asia. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Temperate woodlands of East Asia. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 201–145 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as End of the Jurassic. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels Forest. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Nilssonia?
Primary record
Abundant compressed leaves preserve cuticles and stomata; reproductive organs are interpreted through close relatives.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Nilssonia within About 201–145 million years ago and Temperate woodlands of East Asia. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Nilssonia disappear?
Jurassic and Cretaceous floral turnover reduced many older cycad leaf types before angiosperms expanded.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Nilssonia FAQ
What was Nilssonia?
This archive records Nilssonia under the scientific name Nilssonia orientalis, with an age of About 201–145 million years ago. Long leaves divided into broad segments formed part of the cycadophyte layer beneath Jurassic trees.
When did Nilssonia live?
The current archive range is About 201–145 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is End of the Jurassic.
Where was Nilssonia found?
The archive currently lists Temperate woodlands of East Asia. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Nilssonia?
Abundant compressed leaves preserve cuticles and stomata; reproductive organs are interpreted through close relatives.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS