The Coral Fern family (Gleicheniaceae) is an unusual group of ferns with repeatedly forking fronds that often form dense, impenetrable thickets. Today, they are mostly restricted to tropical and Southern Hemisphere regions, but during the Mesozoic they had a global distribution.

Fossils of Gleichenia and its relatives are fairly common in Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits. Some exceptional fossils are known, such as Gleichenia chaloneri from England and Gleichenia puchella from the USA, both dating to the Early Cretaceous. Fossils that resemble Gleichenia but lack its key identifying features are now often placed in the form-genus Korallipteris.

Modern Gleichenia species typically grow in sunny, open habitats with wet soils, and fossil evidence suggests their ancient relatives occupied similar environments. Many Mesozoic specimens are preserved as charcoalified fragments, indicating they thrived in fire-prone landscapes, much like the living Gleichenia dicarpa. Some species may have been dominant in open habitats long before the rise of flowering plants and grasses, serving as key pioneers in disturbed ecosystems.