Final answer:
Land plants have been on Earth for approximately 10 to 16 percent of the planet's history, dating back to as early as 700 million years ago and with fossil evidence from about 470 million years ago.
Step-by-step explanation:
Land plants have been present on Earth for a fraction of geologic time. Considering that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, and land plants may have colonized land as early as 700 million years ago, with the oldest fossils dating back approximately 470 million years, it is evident that land plants have been around for about 10 to 16 percent of Earth's history, depending on whether we start counting from the first colonization or from the oldest fossil record. The first land plants likely resembled modern-day liverworts, and significant diversification occurred during the Paleozoic era.