Cycads (C/N)

cycadsOne of the dominant plants in the Mesozoic, and have existed for 300 million years. Specifically during the Triassic and Jurassic, they could be found all throughout the world. The Jurassic is also known as the “Age of Cycads”. During that time they counted for 20% of the worlds flora. In the Mesozoic cycads were globally distributed, fossils are known from every continent. Leaves, stems, cones and seeds have all been discovered in the fossil record. This worldwide distribution was possible because the climate was much warmer and wetter than today, cycads thrived better in the Mesozoic humidity.

Cycads were growing on Isla Sorna, in The Lost World novel, they are found in the Sixth Iteration: The Chase (page 353 for the paperback edition)  a Velociraptor “… entered an area marked with thick Benettitalean cycads.”

Benettitalean cycads are an extinct plant from the order of Bennettitales. They were first found in the Triassic that died off towards the end of the Cretaceous about 252 to 66 million years ago. The taxon comprises two groups, the Cycadeoidaceae and the  Williamsoniaceae.