The first evidence for liverworts occurs in rocks laid down between 473 million and 471 million years ago, during the Ordovician Period, whereas the earliest moss fossils are from the Permian Period (298.9 million to 251.9 million years ago).

When did liverwort first appear?

The most ancient liverwort fossils known provide the earliest evidence of plants colonizing the land. These fossils, which appear as cryptospores (sporelike structures), were discovered in Argentina in rocks dating to between 473 million and 471 million years ago.

When did mosses evolve?

The earliest known moss fossil is from the early Carboniferous period, about 320 million years ago.