Bennettitales

Bennettitales is an extinct order of seed-bearing plants that flourished during the Mesozoic Era. These plants are often referred to as "cycadeoids" because of their superficial resemblance to modern cycads. However, they are not closely related to cycads and belong to a separate lineage within the gymnosperms. Bennettitales were characterized by their stout, woody trunks and crown of large, frond-like leaves.

The reproductive structures of Bennettitales are distinctive and have been a key factor in their classification. They typically produced cone-like structures called " Bennettitalean flowers" or "cycadeoid cones." These structures contained microsporangiate (male) and ovulate (female) organs, and in some cases, both were present on the same plant. The seeds were borne within these cones, a characteristic that places them as gymnosperms, meaning their seeds were not enclosed within a fruit.

Fossil evidence of Bennettitales is found worldwide, particularly in rocks from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. They were a dominant component of many Mesozoic floras, often growing in warm, humid environments. Prominent genera include *Williamsonia*, *Williamsoniella*, and *Encephalartos*. The extinction of Bennettitales is thought to have occurred by the end of the Cretaceous period, likely due to competition from the rapidly diversifying angiosperms (flowering plants). Their evolutionary relationship to other seed plants is still a subject of ongoing research.