Podozamites
Podozamites is an extinct genus of fossil conifer leaves. In its broader sense, it has been used as a morphogenus to refer to any broad leaved multi-veined conifer leaves. Modern broad-leaved conifers with a similar form include Agathis in the family Araucariaceae and Nageia in Podocarpaceae, with some Podozamites ''sensu lato probably belonging to the same families.
In a more narrow sense, Podozamites'' has been used to refer to the leaves of a probably monophyletic group of deciduous broad leafed voltzialean conifers which lived in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly East Asia and Siberia, during the Late Triassic to early Late Cretaceous, where it formed part of wet coal swamp communities.
Description
In the right conditions, Podozamites leaves sensu stricto preserve delicate cuticle and insect damage, and are thought to have been regularly shed. They are associated with conifer cones of the genera Swedenborgia, Cycadocarpidium, and Krassilovia.Podozamites leaves are strap-shaped or oblong, with smoothly parallel sides and dense longitudinal veins. They attach to a slender branch in a helical pattern, but twist into a distichous orientation. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf have cells arranged into longitudinal bands. Some bands on the abaxial surface host broad stomata which are paracytic. This is similar to Gnetales and especially bennettitaleans, suggesting that they may be related to these groups.
The Krassilovia cone is roughly spherical and consists of densely packed interlocking overlapping bract-scale complexes surrounding a central axis. The cone is thought to have disintegrated at maturity to release the winged seeds. By contrast, the Swedenborgia and Cycadocarpidium cones are elongate and are only loosely packed.