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Plants with true leaves (in derived forms)
Plants with true leaves (in derived forms)
The Euphyllophytes are a clade of plants that include almost all living plants, except the bryophytes and clubmosses. This means that the euphyllophytes encompass over 95% of all living plants. It is a group that extends back to the Early Devonian (possibly Silurian Period) which makes character generalizations difficult. Their name of the group indicates that these plants have true leaves, unlike the leaves of mosses or clubmosses, although this isn't completely accurate since the ancestral members of this group were leafless. The stem group for this clade exhibited pseudomonopodial growth with three-dimensional branching
Ecology & Form
Ecology & Form
Stems
Upright growth of stems with lateral branches (pseudomonopodial growth);
Branching in 360º (spiral branching off the main axis)
Leaves
True leaves in most derived forms
Ancestral members are leafless, with photosynthetic ultimate stems
Roots
True roots in almost every taxon
Reproductive structures
Ancestral members are spore-bearing
Derived members are seed-bearing
Geologic Age
Geologic Age
415 Ma (early Devonian) - present
Diversity
Diversity
Includes almost all living plants, except bryophytes and lycophytes
Groups
Ancestral euphyllophytes †: ancestral, leafless euphyllophytes, originally called Trimerophytes
Monilophytes: ferns, horsetails, extinct fern-like plants
Lignophytes: progymnosperms and seed plants
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