Neuropteris hirsuta & Adiantites lindseæformis

Reconstruction of Neuropteris hirsuta & Adiantites lindseaeformis.
Neuropteris are extinct plants which belong to the wide branch of seed ferns, a name that was given at the time of their first discovery, because these plants showed both fern-like leaves (fronds) and what looked like seeds, but turned out to be ovules: the actual seed only appears after the ovule has left the mother plant.

Pteridospermatophyta is now the scientific name for such plants, which were predominant at the end of the paleozoic era. The discovery of seed ferns is often considered to be a major event in the history of biology, because of the intermediate position of this group, which helps to better understand the evolution of plant life.