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149 / Paleozoic
Cordaites
Cordaites principalis
Clusters of long strap-shaped leaves crowned woody trees from an extinct gymnosperm lineage near early conifers.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 323–299 million years ago
- Final stage
- End of the Carboniferous
- Geographic range
- Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Cordaites?
This archive records Cordaites under the scientific name Cordaites principalis, with an age of About 323–299 million years ago and a range of Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands. Clusters of long strap-shaped leaves crowned woody trees from an extinct gymnosperm lineage near early conifers.
Cordaites ranged from tall trees to smaller swamp forms. Parallel-veined leaves, compound pollen and ovule organs, and tracheid-rich wood reveal an early seed-plant forest strategy.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Cordaites at a glance
- Scientific name
- Cordaites principalis
- Age
- About 323–299 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- End of the Carboniferous
- Known range
- Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands
- Broad group
- plant
- Archive era
- Paleozoic
- Habitat signals
- Wetland
- Documented regions
- Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands
03 / ANATOMY
How was Cordaites built?
Overall body plan
Clusters of long strap-shaped leaves crowned woody trees from an extinct gymnosperm lineage near early conifers.
Growth architecture
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Cordaites, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Reproductive structures
Cordaites ranged from tall trees to smaller swamp forms. Parallel-veined leaves, compound pollen and ovule organs, and tracheid-rich wood reveal an early seed-plant forest strategy.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Cordaites.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Cordaites live?
Cordaites ranged from tall trees to smaller swamp forms. Parallel-veined leaves, compound pollen and ovule organs, and tracheid-rich wood reveal an early seed-plant forest strategy. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on plant communities, soils, water availability and climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Cordaites live?
This archive currently lists About 323–299 million years ago; Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 323–299 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as End of the Carboniferous. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels Wetland. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Cordaites?
Primary record
Leaves, wood, pith casts, roots and reproductive organs have been united through shared anatomy.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Cordaites within About 323–299 million years ago and Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Cordaites disappear?
Drying climates and floral turnover from the Carboniferous into the Permian favored more modern conifer lineages.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Cordaites FAQ
What was Cordaites?
This archive records Cordaites under the scientific name Cordaites principalis, with an age of About 323–299 million years ago. Clusters of long strap-shaped leaves crowned woody trees from an extinct gymnosperm lineage near early conifers.
When did Cordaites live?
The current archive range is About 323–299 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is End of the Carboniferous.
Where was Cordaites found?
The archive currently lists Euramerican rivers, peat swamps and drier uplands. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Cordaites?
Leaves, wood, pith casts, roots and reproductive organs have been united through shared anatomy.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS