An extinct order of gym-nosperms known from fossils of the Jurassic period. Their habit is uncertain but it is known they had compound leaves consisting of three to six leaflets with reticulate venation. These arose from the tip of the rachis giving a fanlike or palmate leaf. The female reproductive axis bore short pinnae each of which ended in a round hollow structure or * cupule containing the ovules. The pinnae of the male reproductive organs bore synangia longitudinally divided into four pollen sacs, which appear to have been very similar to the anthers of flowering plants. |
