132 THE EVOLUTION OF PLANTS 



seed. On the other hand, there were the Cor- 

 daitese, on a level with the Seed-ferns as re- 

 gards the seeds themselves, but in every other 

 respect more advanced. As Saporta, the French 

 palseobotanist, recognised when the Cordaitese 

 were first made known, their reproductive organs 

 exceeded in elaboration even those of the 

 Coniferse, but were on a different and essentially 

 more primitive line, and one doomed to 

 extinction. 



It is an interesting question, what became of 

 this great Palaeozoic group of trees? Did they 

 really become extinct, or have they left any 

 survivors? In the form in which we know them 

 they no doubt died out, but very gradually, 

 lingering on far into the Mesozoic. 



Their nearest living representative is un- 

 doubtedly the Maidenhair-tree, connected with 

 the Cordaitese by many characters, especially 

 the structure of both male and female fructifica- 

 tions, including the detailed organisation of the 

 plum-like seeds. The Maidenhair-tree line, so 

 well developed during Mesozoic times, probably 

 did not spring directly from those Cordaitese 

 which happen to be best known to us at present, 

 but was no doubt derived from some other 

 branch of the same great class. 



A more important and difficult question is 

 that of the relation of Cordaitese to the Coniferse. 



