We emulate angiosperm paleo-traits in a land surface model according to the fossil record, and we assess this paleovegetation functioning under different pCO₂ from the leaf scale to the global scale. We show that photosynthesis, transpiration and water-use efficiency are dependent on both the vegetation parameterization and the pCO₂. Comparing the modeled vegetation with the fossil record, we provide clues on how to account for angiosperm evolutionary traits in paleoclimate simulations.