Ay Nhevilla Parkkvergreen News 
Published by 
THEVILLA PARK EVERGREEN CO. 
The Evolution of Evergreens. 
At what period the evergrecns entered in the pic- 
ture of evolution of plant life is not clearly 
established. However, geologists and botanists have 
in their researches in the past lifted the veil of 
obscurence to some extent. Although much has to be 
learned yet. there have been ever changing geologi- 
cal formations and climatic conditions in the more 
than 2 billion years of the existence of the earth. 
Periods, not measured in a few generations of man- 
life, but in millions of years. 
Paleobotanists, scientists who study fossil plants, 
tell us that about 300 million years ago the first 
evergreens made their appearance. Once established, 
climatic conditions became so favorable that the 
larger part of the earth was covered with evergreens 
in addition to the Gingkoes and Cycads. Saurians, 
the great reptiles were roaming among the Cordaites, 
Walchias and Voltzias, the ancestors of the oldest 
types of living trees, the evergreens.The formation 
of our coal beds was then almost completed. This 
period in the geological history of the earth is 
called the Mesozoic era. In time many species cz 
evergreens developed; many more than are living to- 
day. 
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A reconstructed branch of a Cordaite, 
A distant ancestor of evergreens, 
How can the scientist know this? By examining the 
different layers of rock and by study or fossil 
plants either a piece of wood, a leaf, a flower, 
or a cone imbedded in stone,clay or mud, each leav- 
ing its telling tale in the library of nature. 
: at 
a 
Branch of a Voltzia 
4A now extinct prehistoric evergreen. 
What then were the first evergreens? As said before 
the picture is not complete, Many facts have to be 
added, scientific proofs have to be established, whe- 
re at present there is only guesswork. But even 30 
the Paleobotonists have given us a definite outline 
for the picture of early evergreens, however dim it 
is. 
So it appears that the first typical evergreens 
were pine-like or yewlike trees. Which ones deve- 
loped first is still to be established. From what 
we know at present, it seems that the pine-like 
trees came first. 
The most outstanding members of this group were 
the Araucarias, represented today by the Kauris of 
Australia and the Norfolk Pine. Next came the Se- 
quoias or Bigtrees,two speciesstill growing in Ca- 
lifornia, and the Bald Cypress. Newer conceptions 
maintain that these two trees are closely related. 
Still later there developed a group of trees now 
classified.as the Cupressacea, comprising all the 
Junipers, Arbor Vitaes, Retinosporas and Cypresses, 
The main stem of these pine-like trees wasformed by 
Firs,Spruces, Larch, Tammaracks and the true Cedars. 
The yew-like trees, which are now arranged a8 
Taxacea, divided themselves in 2 branches. First 
the Podocapea which have a much broader and fle- 
shier leaf as the true Yew. Only the Podocarps 
of Australia and New Zealand are the surviving 
members of this branch. Secondly.we have the 
Taxae with narrow, lance-like leaf of the Yew 
and the rare Nutmegs of Florida and California. 
Here again many types have not survived the times. 
In the slow process of evolution, requiring many 
millions of years,the prehistoric evergreens fi- 
nally assumed the shape and characteristics as we 
know them today. For instance,we find that some of 
the Pines of old were quite different than the Pi- 
nes of today. Some Pines had needlebundles of 25 
whereas today.,not more than 5 needles are found 
in a bundle and in one of the species only one 
needle. (Single Leaf Pine) 
Restoration of a twig of a Cretaceous Pine. 
Note the large number of needles ina bundle. 
The Bigtrees and Redwoods in time past covered 
many parts of the earth, and are now making their 
last stand in California. Once there were many spe- 
cies of these trees, now only 2 are left. However 
recently one other specie was discovered in China, 
the so called DawnSequoia. Botanists believe this 
to be the ancestor of our Bigtrees. 
Some of our Bigtrees are more than 3000 years old. 
What stories the rustle of their leaves could tell 
us. Some of these trees were living when the Egyp- 
tians build the pyramids;when Ceasar ruled Home; 
they saw the beginning of Christianity; they saw 
the Dark Age come and’ go and they were there when 
the Pilgrims landed on our shore; indeed-the whole 
written history of mankind, and they are still li- 
ving and will live for many, many generations to 
come. Or let us think of the Bald Cypress of Tule 
in Mexico with an estimated life of more than 5000 
years. 
Fossil of a Sequoia 
From Tertiary deposits 
of Alaska, 
Although still shrouded in mystery,this hasty glan- 
ce into the history of evergreens shows us that many 
years were needed for nature to develop them to 
their present stage. Some of the species disappeared 
in this evolution to their perfection. But there are 
still more than 500 different kinds of evergreens. 
A fact which should show us all that evergreens are 
a little more than just Pines or Christmas trees. 
