<P> On land, the holdover plants included the lycophytes, the dominant cycads, Ginkgophyta (represented in modern times by Ginkgo biloba) and glossopterids . The spermatophytes, or seed plants came to dominate the terrestrial flora: in the northern hemisphere, conifers flourished . Dicroidium (a seed fern) was the dominant southern hemisphere tree during the Early Triassic period . </P> <P> The arid, continental conditions characteristic of the Triassic steadily eased during the Jurassic period, especially at higher latitudes; the warm, humid climate allowed lush jungles to cover much of the landscape . Conifers dominated the flora, as during the Triassic; they were the most diverse group and constituted the majority of large trees . Extant conifer families that flourished during the Jurassic included the Araucariaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae, Taxaceae and Taxodiaceae . The extinct Mesozoic conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae dominated low latitude vegetation, as did the shrubby Bennettitales . Cycads were also common, as were ginkgos and tree ferns in the forest . Smaller ferns were probably the dominant undergrowth . Caytoniaceous seed ferns were another group of important plants during this time and are thought to have been shrub to small - tree sized . Ginkgo - like plants were particularly common in the mid - to high northern latitudes . In the Southern Hemisphere, podocarps were especially successful, while Ginkgos and Czekanowskiales were rare . </P> <P> Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, spread during this period, although they did not become predominant until near the end of the period (Campanian age). Their evolution was aided by the appearance of bees; in fact angiosperms and insects are a good example of coevolution . The first representatives of many modern trees, including figs, planes and magnolias, appeared in the Cretaceous . At the same time, some earlier Mesozoic gymnosperms, like Conifers continued to thrive, although other taxa like Bennettitales died out before the end of the period . </P> <P> The Cenozoic is just as much the age of savannas, or the age of co-dependent flowering plants and insects . At 35 Ma, grasses evolved from among the angiosperms . About ten thousand years ago, humans in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East develop agriculture . Plant domestication begins with cultivation of Neolithic founder crops . This process of food production, coupled later with the domestication of animals caused a massive increase in human population that has continued to the present . In Jericho (modern Israel), there is a settlement with about 19,000 people . At the same time, Sahara is green with rivers, lakes, cattle, crocodiles and monsoons . At 8 ka, Common (Bread) wheat (Triticum aestivum) originates in southwest Asia due to hybridisation of emmer wheat with a goat - grass, Aegilops tauschii . At 6.5 ka, two rice species are domesticated: Asian rice, Oryza sativa, and African rice Oryza glaberrima . </P>

When did the first land plants originate and what name was given to the oldest plant fossil