The anthophytes are a grouping of plant taxa bearing flower-like reproductive structures. They were formerly thought to be a
clade comprising plants bearing flower-like structures. The group contained the
angiosperms
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants ...
- the extant flowering plants, such as
roses and
grasses
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns ...
- as well as the
Gnetales
Gnetophyta () is a division of plants (alternatively considered the subclass Gnetidae or order Gnetales), grouped within the gymnosperms (which also includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgos), that consists of some 70 species across the three reli ...
and the extinct
Bennettitales
Bennettitales (also known as cycadeoids) is an extinct order of seed plants that first appeared in the Permian period and became extinct in most areas toward the end of the Cretaceous. Bennettitales are among the most common Mesozoic seed plants ...
.
Detailed morphological and molecular studies have shown that the group is not actually
monophyletic, with proposed floral homologies of the
gnetophyte
Gnetophyta () is a division of plants (alternatively considered the subclass Gnetidae or order Gnetales), grouped within the gymnosperms (which also includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgos), that consists of some 70 species across the three re ...
s and the
angiosperms having evolved in parallel.
[ This makes it easier to reconcile molecular clock data that suggests that the angiosperms diverged from the ]gymnosperm
The gymnosperms ( lit. revealed seeds) are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, '' Ginkgo'', and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in el, γυμν ...
s around 320-300 mya.
Some more recent studies have used the word anthophyte to describe a group which includes the angiosperms and a variety of fossils ( glossopterids, '' Pentoxylon'', Bennettitales
Bennettitales (also known as cycadeoids) is an extinct order of seed plants that first appeared in the Permian period and became extinct in most areas toward the end of the Cretaceous. Bennettitales are among the most common Mesozoic seed plants ...
, and '' Caytonia''), but not the Gnetales.
References
{{Reflist
Historically recognized plant taxa