Glossopteris leaves are commonly found in thick mats, and because of this some authorities speculate that the plants were deciduous.
The presence of Glossopteris in Antarctica makes little sense unless the continents were once connected. Today, it is much too cold, and too dark much of the year, for any large plants to survive in Antarctica. Its occurrence, therefore, in Antarctica's fossil record implies that the environment of Antarctica has changed substantially over the last 250 million years. The occurrence of Glossopteris in so many other places besides Antarctica also presents a challenge. The seeds of this plant were much too large to be carried by the wind. The modern distribution of Glossopteris fossils makes much more sense if the continents were once connected as a supercontinent.
