Archaeopteris
Until the 2007 discovery of Wattieza, many botanists thought Archaeopteris was the earliest known tree. It has buds, reinforced branch joints, and branched trunks similar to today's wood. It is more like modern seed-bearing trees than other spore-bearing plants. It is a bit like woody trees and herbaceous ferns. These extinct plants are sometimes called the progymnosperms. They are plants with gymnosperm-like wood but which produce spores rather than seeds.