212 PALEOBOTANY 



Anonymous 



The Study of Fossil Plants 



Amended and reprinted with the permission 

 of the pubhshers, Leaflet 46, General Bio- 

 logical Supply House Inc. | 



To the lay person it might, on first forests of coal-forming plants. Some 

 thought, seem that an accurate knowl- large museums now feature such groups 

 edge of the sort of vegetation that and a study of them is not only en- 

 covered the earth during remote ages lightening but very entertaining. The 

 would be impossible. He has heard ac- history of the earth's plant life has been 

 counts of dinosaurs, the gigantic rep- written, indelibly, into the rocks, and 

 tiles that lived aeons ago, and because science is now beginning to decipher it, 

 of the numerous records of discovery much the same as has been done for 

 of their fossilized remains, their ex- the Egyptian hieroglyphics, 

 istence is generally and easily conceded. While many lowly plants, such as 

 Because of the relativelv few papers bacteria and algae, have been known 

 that have been presented in a popu- from Precambrian times, in this article 

 larized form concerning the discoveries we are devoting our main interest to 

 of fossilized plants, there is very little higher plants, chiefly those that flour- 

 knowledge of this subject, except as ished during the Paleozoic era (spe- 

 possessed by the specialists in our col- cifically, the Carboniferous period), 

 leges and universities who have fostered These latter plants are preserved for 

 the science. Paleobotany. It is hoped us in such forms as bark, seeds, leaves 

 that a more general dissemination of and stems, so that accurate knowledge 

 this knowledge will be possible in the is at hand for the gross structure of the 

 future, both through popularized pub- coal-forming plants. Not only this, but 

 lications and through the study of sets some of the structures are so excellently 

 of plant fossils which are now available preserved that it is possible to prepare 

 at quite reasonable prices. Through microscopic sections of them. The 

 intensive studies of plant fossils, it is minute anatomy of many of these 

 now possible to tell just what sort of plants has thus been studied, 

 vegetation covered the earth during The fossils that have made Paleo- 

 different geologic periods. Scenes can botany an exact science are found in 

 now be reconstructed showing whole various kinds of rock formations in all 



