Cordaites

For the explosive, see Cordite.

Cordaites is a genus of extinct gymnosperms, related to or actually representing the earliest conifers. These trees grew up to 100 feet (30 m) tall and stood in dry areas as well as wetlands. Brackish water mussels and crustacea are found frequently between the roots of these trees. Cordaites fossils are most commonly found in rock sections from the Upper Carboniferous (323 to 299 million years ago) of Europe and the Americas.

Leaves of Cordaites lungatus

Cordaites Temporal range: Pennsylvanian–Changhsingian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil bark of a Cordaites sp
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	†Cordaitales
Family:	†Cordaitaceae
Genus:	†Cordaites Unger
Species[citation needed]
C. daviessensis C. hislopii C. kinneyensis C. ludlowi C. lungatus C. minshallensis C. olneyensis C. principalis C. setlikii

A number of many types from this line are:

• Cordaites principalis
• Cordaites ludlowi (named after Ludlow, a coal area in England)
• Cordaites hislopii. Found in Paleorrota geopark in Brazil.^[1]

In contrast to many other plants, fossilized Cordaites seeds are not rare, because they are rather large (up to 10 mm); those seeds are named Cordaicarpus.