Euphyllophytes

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

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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

Classification

Embryophytes

└Polysporangiophytes

└Tracheophytes

└Eutracheophytes

└Euphyllophytes

Diversity

Groups