Evolutionary history of plants phloem on the outside. Since xylem cells comprise dead, lignified tissue, subsequent rings of xylem are added to those already present, forming wood. The first plants to develop secondary growth and a woody habit, were apparently the ferns, and as early as the Middle Devonian one species, "Wattieza", had already reached heights of 8 m and a tree-like habit. Other clades did not take long to develop a tree-like stature. The Late Devonian "Archaeopteris", a precursor to gymnosperms which evolved from the trimerophytes, reached 30 m in height. The progymnosperms were the first plants to develop true wood, grown from
Seeds of Distrust Seeds of Distrust Seeds of Distrust: The Story of a GE Cover-up was a study of government processes and decision making under New Zealand's Labour-led government written by Nicky Hager. The setting was an incident in November 2000, during the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, when government officials were alerted to evidence of an accidental release of genetically modified corn plants, which was illegal under New Zealand law. The book traces the stages of industry lobbying and government decision making leading up to a decision to regard the incident as insignificant and keep it secret from the public. The book