Fossil plants, Vol. 2: A text-book for students of botany and geology

Fossil plants, Vol. 2: A text-book for students of botany and geology

I REGRET that pressure of other work has prevented the completion of this Volume within a reasonable time since the publication of Volume I. Had Volume II been written ten years ago, the discoveries made in the course of the last decade would have given an out-of-date character to much of the subject-matter. It is more especially in regard to the Ferns and the extinct members of the Gymnosperms that our outlook has been materially altered by recent contributions to Palaeobotany. It is, however, some satisfaction to be able to add that recent progress has been relatively slight in that part of the subject dealt with in the first volume. The original intention was to complete the whole work in two volumes. Soon after the second volume was begun, it became evident that the remaining divisions of the plant-kingdom could not be included within the compass of a single volume. I decided, therefore, to take the consequences of having embarked on too ambitious a plan of treatment, and to preserve uniformity of proportion by reserving the seed-bearing plants for a third volume. The third volume will include the Pteridosperms, other than those briefly described in the final chapter of the present volume, and other classes of Gymnosperms. I propose also to devote such space as is available within the limits of a text-book to the neglected subject of the geographical distribution of plants at differentvi stages in the history of the earth. It is my intention to complete Volume III with as little delay as possible. As I have written elsewhere, the past history of the Flowering plants needs special treatment, and anything more than a mere compilation can be adequately attempted only after considerable research and with the assistance of botanists possessing a special knowledge of different families of Angiosperms. The need of a critical examination of available data in regard to the geological history of this dominant group will not be lost sight of. I am well aware that while certain genera have received an undue share of attention in the present volume, others have been ignored or treated with scant consideration. For this inconsistency I have no excuse to offer, beyond the statement that the subject is a large one, and selection is necessary even though the work consists of three volumes. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 68470
Author: Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)
Release Date: Jul 7, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Date: 1910
Publisher Country: en