|
Progymnosperm
The progymnosperms are an extinct group of woody, spore-bearing plants that is presumed to have evolved from the trimerophytes, and eventually gave rise to the spermatophytes, ancestral to both gymnosperms and angiosperms (flowering plants). They have been treated formally at the rank of division Progymnospermophyta or class Progymnospermopsida (as opposite). The stratigraphically oldest known examples belong to the Middle Devonian order the Aneurophytales, with forms such as '' Protopteridium'', in which the vegetative organs consisted of relatively loose clusters of axes. '' Tetraxylopteris'' is another example of a genus lacking leaves. In more advanced aneurophytaleans such as '' Aneurophyton'' these vegetative organs started to look rather more like fronds, and eventually during Late Devonian times the aneurophytaleans are presumed to have given rise to the pteridosperm order, the Lyginopteridales. In Late Devonian times, another group of progymnosperms gave rise to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Archaeopteris
''Archaeopteris'' is an extinct genus of progymnosperm tree with fern-like leaves. A useful List of index fossils, index fossil, this tree is found in Stratum, strata dating from the Upper Devonian to Lower Carboniferous (), the oldest fossils being 385 million years old, and had global distribution. Until the 2007 discovery of ''Wattieza'', many scientists considered ''Archaeopteris'' to be the earliest known tree. Bearing buds, reinforced branch joints, and branched trunks similar to today's Woody plant, woody plants, it is more reminiscent of modern seed-bearing trees than other spore-bearing Taxon, taxa. It combines characteristics of woody trees and herbaceous ferns, and belongs to the progymnosperms, a group of extinct plants more closely related to Seed plant, seed plants than to ferns, but unlike seed plants, reproducing using spores like ferns. Taxonomy John William Dawson described the genus in 1871. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaīos'', "ancient" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian period at million years ago (Megaannum, Ma), to the beginning of the succeeding Carboniferous period at Ma. It is the fourth period of both the Paleozoic and the Phanerozoic. It is named after Devon, South West England, where rocks from this period were first studied. The first significant evolutionary radiation of history of life#Colonization of land, life on land occurred during the Devonian, as free-spore, sporing land plants (pteridophytes) began to spread across dry land, forming extensive coal forests which covered the continents. By the middle of the Devonian, several groups of vascular plants had evolved leaf, leaves and true roots, and by the end of the period the first seed-bearing plants (Pteridospermatophyta, pteridospermatophyt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Aneurophyton
''Aneurophyton'' is a genus of extinct vascular plants that belong to the Aneurophytales, a class of progymnosperms. The most well-known species within the genus are ''A. germanicum'' and ''A. doui'', while a third probable species, ''A. olnense'', has also been described. Aneurophyton is primarily known from multiple occurrence records of ''A. germanicum'' and ''A. doui'' which occur in Middle Devonian and Upper Devonian (late Eifelian to Famennian) outcrops in Belgium, China (in the western part of Dzungaria), Germany, and the United States (New York). Taxonomy and distribution Some uncertain species within the genus are also recorded from Middle Devonian outcrops in Kazakhstan, Russia ( Timan and Siberia), and Ukraine. While a number of species have been described in the paleobotanical literature, the genus may have only contained two species which have been well described, ''A. germanicum'' and ''A. doui''. A third probably species, ''A. olnense'', is also found in Fammenia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Tetraxylopteris
'' Tetraxylopteris'' is a genus of extinct vascular plants of the Middle to Upper Devonian (around ). Fossils were first found in New York State, USA. A second species was later found in Venezuela. Description Fossils of ''Tetraxylopteris'' have so far been discovered in two locations. ''T. schmidtii'' was named from the Catskill Clastic Wedge, New York State, United States of America, in rocks of Middle to Upper Devonian age (around ). ''T. reposana'' was found in the Campo Chico Formation, north-west Venezuela, in beds believed to be of Frasnian age (). The overall shape of ''Tetraxylopteris'' consisted of a complex system of branches. The main stem was 'pseudomonopodial', i.e. it divided dichotomously to produce side stems while the main stem maintained its identity. The main and side stems then bore three orders of branches (i.e. the first branches from the stems divided twice more). (There were possibly four orders in ''T. reposana''.) The branches were arranged in opposit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Heterosporous
Heterospory is the production of spores of two different sizes and sexes by the sporophytes of land plants. The smaller of these, the microspore, is male and the larger megaspore is female. Heterospory evolved during the Devonian period from isospory independently in several plant groups: the clubmosses, the ferns including the arborescent horsetails, and progymnosperms. This occurred as part of the process of evolution of the timing of sex differentiation.Sussex, I.M. (1966) The origin and development of heterospory in vascular plants. Chapter 9 in ''Trends in Plant morphogenesis'', ed. by E.G. Cutter, Longmans. Four extant groups of plants are heterosporous; Selaginella, Isoetes, Salviniales and seed plants. Origin of heterospory Heterospory evolved due to natural selection that favoured an increase in propagule size compared with the smaller spores of homosporous plants. Heterosporous plants, similar to anisosporic plants, produce two different sized spores in separa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Archaeopteridales
The Archaeopteridales are an extinct order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ... of plants belonging to Progymnospermae, and dominant forest trees of the Late Devonian. They reproduced with spores rather than seeds. They were the evolutionary precursors of the conifers of gymnosperms which also include cycads and gingko. References Middle Devonian plants Prehistoric plant orders Late Devonian plants Middle Devonian first appearances Late Devonian extinctions {{devonian-plant-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Lyginopteridales
The Lyginopteridales are an extinct group of seed plants known from the Paleozoic. They were the first plant fossils to be described as Pteridospermatophyta, pteridosperms (a polyphyletic group sometimes referred to as "seed ferns") and, thus, the group on which the concept of pteridosperms was first developed;Oliver, F. W. & Scott, D. H. (1904). "On the structure of the Palaeozoic seed ''Lagenostoma Lomaxi'', with a statement of the evidence upon which it is referred to ''Lyginodendron''." ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B,'' 197: 193-247. they are the stratigraphically oldest-known pteridosperms, occurring first in late Devonian strata;Rothwell, G. W., Scheckler, S. E. & Gillespie, W. H. (1989). "''Elkinsia'' gen. nov., a Late Devonian gymnosperm with cupulate ovules." ''Botanical Gazette,'' 150: 170-189. and they have the most primitive features, most notably in the structure of their ovules.Long, A. G. (1959). "On the structure of ''Calym ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the sixth and last period of the Paleozoic Era; the following Triassic Period belongs to the Mesozoic Era. The concept of the Permian was introduced in 1841 by geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, who named it after the Perm Governorate, region of Perm in Russia. The Permian witnessed the diversification of the two groups of amniotes, the synapsids and the Sauropsida, sauropsids (reptiles). The world at the time was dominated by the supercontinent Pangaea, which had formed due to the collision of Euramerica and Gondwana during the Carboniferous. Pangaea was surrounded by the superocean Panthalassa. The Carboniferous rainforest collapse left behind vast regions of desert within the continental interior. Amniotes, which could better cope with these ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Noeggerathiales
Noeggerathiales is a now-extinct order of vascular plants. The fossil range of the order extends from the Upper Carboniferous to the upper Permian (Lopingian). Noeggerathiales have been previously linked to horsetails and ferns, but are currently believed to be progymnosperms, being woody like seed plants, but still producing spores rather than seeds. Noeggerathiales had a tree fern Tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk (botany), trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae ( ... like appearance, with leaves sprouting from the top of an unbranched trunk. They were primarily confined to the wet tropical regions where there was no frost. Noeggerathiales are rare in European and North American floras, but are common components of Cathaysian Chinese floras. One form, ''Paratingia wuhaia'', resembled a small fern reaching from two ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Gymnosperms
The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophyta, gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in ( and ), and literally means 'naked seeds'. The name is based on the unenclosed condition of their seeds (called ovules in their unfertilized state). The non-encased condition of their seeds contrasts with the seeds and ovules of flowering plants (angiosperms), which are enclosed within an Ovary (botany), ovary. Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface of scales or Leaf, leaves, which are often modified to form Conifer cone, cones, or on their own as in Taxus, yew, ''Torreya'', and ''Ginkgo''. The life cycle of a gymnosperm involves alternation of generations, with a dominant diploid sporophyte phase, and a reduced haploid gam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Tracheophyta
Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignin, lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified Tissue (biology), tissue (the phloem) to conduct products of photosynthesis. The group includes most embryophyte, land plants ( accepted known species) excluding mosses. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, horsetails, ferns, gymnosperms (including conifers), and angiosperms (flowering plants). They are contrasted with nonvascular plants such as mosses and green algae. Scientific names for the vascular plants group include Tracheophyta, Tracheobionta and Equisetopsida sensu lato, Equisetopsida ''sensu lato''. Some early land plants (the rhyniophytes) had less developed vascular tissue; the term eutracheophyte has been used for all other vascular plants, including all living ones. Historically, vascular plants were known as "hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Conifer
Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class (biology), class, Pinopsida. All Neontology, extant conifers are perennial plant, perennial woody plants with secondary growth. The majority are trees, though a few are shrubs. Examples include Cedrus, cedars, Pseudotsuga, Douglas-firs, Cupressaceae, cypresses, firs, junipers, Agathis, kauri, larches, pines, Tsuga, hemlocks, Sequoioideae, redwoods, spruces, and Taxaceae, yews.Campbell, Reece, "Phylum Coniferophyta". ''Biology''. 7th ed. 2005. Print. p. 595. As of 2002, Pinophyta contained seven families, 60 to 65 genera, and more than 600 living species. Although the total number of species is relatively small, conifers are ecology, ecologically important. They are the dominant plants over large areas of land, most notably ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
