| Cordaites Temporal range: Late Carboniferous |
|
|---|---|
| Cordaites lungatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Tracheophyta (Pteropsida) |
| Class: | Gymnospermae |
| Order: | Cordaitales |
| Family: | Cordaitaceae |
| Genus: | Cordaites |
| Species | |
|
Cordaites ludlowi |
|
Cordaites is an important genus of extinct gymnosperms which grew on wet ground similar to the Everglades in Florida. Brackish water mussels and crustacea are found frequently between the roots of these trees. The fossils are found in rock sections from the Upper Carboniferous (318 to 299 million years ago) of the Dutch - Belgian - German coal area. A number of many noteworthy types from this line are:
In contrast to many other plant varieties, Cordaites seeds are not rare, because they are rather large (up to 10mm); those seeds are named Cordaicarpus.