Chloranthoids are a primitive group of flowering plants that still survive today in tropical forests, but were once far more widespread and ecologically significant. Fossil pollen assigned to the form-genus Clavatipollenites is among the earliest evidence of angiosperms, appearing by the Barremian and becoming widespread in the Early Cretaceous. These early chloranthoids were among the first flowering plants to diversify and spread globally, with macrofossil remains including tiny flowers, fruits, and seeds, now known from Europe, Asia, and North America. Unlike most flowering plants, chloranthoids have small, simple flowers and often lack petals entirely. The distinctive club-shaped pollen of Clavatipollenites closely resembles that of modern Ascarina, pointing to a strong evolutionary link with the living family Chloranthaceae. Fossil evidence suggests that many extinct chloranthoids fell within the crown group of Chloranthaceae, potentially bridging morphological gaps between the four relictual genera that survive today. These plants likely grew as low, shrubby undergrowth in warm, wet environments, possibly around ponds, lakes, and rivers. Though rarely preserved as whole plants, their pollen is abundant in some deposits, a sign of their ecological success and early dominance during the first wave of angiosperm radiation.