

THE COKDAITALES 231 



After being taught in our youth that the earliest 

 vegetation known to the palaeontologist was entirely 

 cryptogamic, and that seed-plants were only in evidence 

 in later strata, the discovery of the Pteridosperms comes 

 somewhat in the nature of a shock, which becomes the 

 more impressive when we realize that contemporaneous 

 with the group there existed another group of seed- 

 bearing plants, classed as the CORDAITALES. This name 

 has been given to three interrelated families, the 

 Poroxylese, Pityese, and Cordaiteae. Of these the last 

 named are best known, the fossil remains being such as 

 to yield a comprehensive view of their characters. In 

 external appearance they seem to have been tall, slim 

 trees ranging from 30 to 100 feet in height; the trunks 

 were unbranched up to nearly the top, where they were 

 crowned by branches bearing long simple leaves having 

 parallel veins. Fig. 70 gives a general idea of the ap- 

 pearance of Dory cordaites, which had lance-shaped 

 leaves nearly 3 feet in length, pointed at their tips. 

 Fig. 71 shows a restored branch of Cordaites Icevis ; it 

 indicates the form and arrangement of leaves, which fre- 

 quently attained a length of 3 feet. The same figure 

 shows inflorescences consisting of many catkins. The 

 stem of Cordaites resembled that of a Conifer, with the 

 exception that the pith was much larger, and in size 

 much akin to that of the Cycads. In outward appear- 

 ance there was little difference between the male and 

 female catkins; the stamens of the former were shielded 

 by bracts, and each consisted of a long stalk surmounted 

 by long, erect, pollen-sacs; in the female catkins the 

 ovules were borne on short stalks and were situated 

 among bracts. The Cordaitese were undoubtedly Gym- 



