Euphyllophyte

Euphyllophyte
Fossil of Psilophyton dawsonii, an early euphyllophyte
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Polysporangiophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Euphyllophytes
Synonyms[citation needed]
  • Euphyllophyta Kenrick & Crane 1997
  • Telomophyta

The euphyllophytes are a clade of plants within the tracheophytes (the vascular plants). The group may be treated as an unranked clade, a division under the name Euphyllophyta or a subdivision under the name Euphyllophytina. The euphyllophytes are characterized by the possession of true leaves ("megaphylls"), and comprise one of two major lineages of extant vascular plants. As shown in the cladogram below, the euphyllophytes have a sister relationship to the lycopodiophytes or lycopsids. Unlike the lycopodiophytes, which consist of relatively few presently living or extant taxa, the euphyllophytes comprise the vast majority of vascular plant lineages that have evolved since both groups shared a common ancestor more than 400 million years ago. The euphyllophytes consist of two lineages, the spermatophytes or seed plants such as flowering plants (angiosperms) and gymnosperms (conifers and related groups), and the Polypodiophytes or ferns, as well as a number of extinct fossil groups.

The division of the extant tracheophytes into three monophyletic lineages is supported in multiple molecular studies. Other researchers argue that phylogenies based solely on molecular data without the inclusion of carefully evaluated fossil data based on whole plant reconstructions, do not necessarily completely and accurately resolve the evolutionary history of groups like the euphyllophytes.

The following cladogram shows a 2004 view of the evolutionary relationships among the taxa described above.

Tracheophytes
Lycopodiophytes

Clubmosses

Quillworts

Spikemosses

Euphyllophytes
Spermatophytes

Angiosperms

Cycads

Ginkgo

Conifers

Gnetophytes

Polypodiopsida

Ophioglossoid ferns

Whisk ferns

Marattioid ferns

Horsetails

Leptosporangiate ferns

An updated phylogeny of both living and extinct Euphyllophytes with plant taxon authors from Anderson, Anderson & Cleal 2007.

Tracheophyta

Rhyniopsida

Eutracheophytes

Lycopodiophytina Tippo sensu Ruggiero et al. 2015 (Clubmosses, Spikemosses & Quillworts)

Euphyllophytes

Eophyllophyton

Trimerophytopsida

Megaphylla
Moniliformopses

Polypodiophytina Reveal 1966 sensu Ruggiero et al. 2015 (Ferns)

Radiatopses

Pertica

Lignophytes

†Aneurophytopsida

Metalignophytes

Archaeopteridopsida

†Protopityales

Spermatophytina sensu Ruggiero et al. 2015 (Seed plants)


This page was last updated at 2023-11-13 06:14 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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