These plants dominated the Permian landscape very much like the Eucalyptus trees do today. They were deciduous plants and ranged in size from tall trees to small scrubs.

Their root system was adapted to the swampy habitat they grew in. The root fossils are known as "vertebraria indica", as they resemble vertebral columns or back bones.

The name also is derived from the Greek words "glosso" meaning tongue and "pteri" meaning fern. The Glossopterids were largely responsible for the formation of the Eastern Australian black coal deposits.