The term Pteridospermatophyta (or "seed ferns" or "Pteridospermatopsida") is a
polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...
group of extinct seed-bearing plants (
spermatophyte
A spermatophyte (; ), also known as phanerogam (taxon Phanerogamae) or phaenogam (taxon Phaenogamae), is any plant that produces seeds, hence the alternative name seed plant. Spermatophytes are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants. They inc ...
s). The earliest fossil evidence for plants of this type is the genus ''Elkinsia'' of the late
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wh ...
age.
They flourished particularly during the
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carboniferou ...
and
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and 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 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleo ...
periods. Pteridosperms declined during the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
Era and had mostly disappeared by the end of the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
Period, though some pteridosperm-like plants seem to have survived into
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...
times, based on
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
finds in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
.
With regard to the enduring utility of this
division, many palaeobotanists still use the pteridosperm grouping in an informal sense to refer to the seed plants that are not
angiosperm
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 ...
s, coniferoids (
conifer
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...
s or
cordaites),
ginkgophytes or
cycad
Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male o ...
ophytes (cycads or
bennettites). This is particularly useful for extinct seed plant groups whose systematic relationships remain speculative, as they can be classified as pteridosperms with no valid implications being made as to their systematic affinities. Also, from a purely curatorial perspective the term pteridosperms is a useful shorthand for describing the fern-like fronds that were probably produced by seed plants, which are commonly found in many Palaeozoic and Mesozoic fossil floras.
History of classification
The concept of pteridosperms goes back to the late 19th century when
palaeobotanists came to realise that many Carboniferous fossils resembling fern fronds had anatomical features more reminiscent of the modern-day seed plants, the
cycads
Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody ( ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male or ...
. In 1899 the German palaeobotanist
Henry Potonié coined the term "''Cycadofilices''" ("cycad-ferns") for such fossils, suggesting that they were a group of non-seed plants intermediate between the
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...
s and cycads.
Shortly afterwards, the British palaeobotanists
Frank Oliver Frank Oliver may refer to:
* Frank Oliver (American football) (born 1952), American football player
* Frank Oliver (footballer) (1882–?), English footballer
*Frank Oliver (politician) (1853–1933), Canadian politician
*Frank Oliver (rugby union) ...
and
Dukinfield Henry Scott (with the assistance of Oliver's student at the time,
Marie Stopes
Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes (15 October 1880 – 2 October 1958) was a British author, palaeobotanist and campaigner for eugenics and women's rights. She made significant contributions to plant palaeontology and coal classificati ...
) made the critical discovery that some of these fronds (genus ''Lyginopteris'') were associated with seeds (genus ''Lagenostoma'') that had identical and very distinctive glandular hairs, and concluded that both fronds and seeds belonged to the same plant.
Soon, additional evidence came to light suggesting that seeds were also attached to the Carboniferous fern-like fronds ''Dicksonites'',
''
Neuropteris''
and ''Aneimites''.
Initially it was still thought that they were "
transitional fossils" intermediate between the ferns and cycads, and especially in the English-speaking world they were referred to as "seed ferns" or "pteridosperms". Today, despite being regarded by most palaeobotanists as only distantly related to ferns, these spurious names have nonetheless established themselves. Nowadays, four orders of Palaeozoic seed plants tend to be referred to as pteridosperms:
Lyginopteridales
The Lyginopteridales were the archetypal pteridosperms: They were the first plant fossils to be described as pteridosperms and, thus, the group on which the concept of pteridosperms was first developed;Oliver, F. W. & Scott, D. H. (1904). "On t ...
,
Medullosales,
Callistophytales
The Callistophytales was an order of mainly scrambling and lianescent plants found in the wetland "coal swamps" of Euramerica and Cathaysia. They were characterised by having bilaterally-symmetrical, non-cupulate ovules attached to the underside ...
and
Peltaspermales
The Peltaspermales are an extinct order of plants belonging to Pteridospermatophyta
The term Pteridospermatophyta (or "seed ferns" or "Pteridospermatopsida") is a polyphyletic group of extinct seed-bearing plants (spermatophytes). The earlies ...
.
Their discovery attracted considerable attention at the time, as the pteridosperms were the first extinct group of vascular plants to be identified solely from the fossil record. In the 19th century the Carboniferous Period was often referred to as the "Age of Ferns" but these discoveries during the first decade of the 20th century made it clear that the "Age of Pteridosperms" was perhaps a better description.
During the 20th century the concept of pteridosperms was expanded to include various Mesozoic groups of seed plants with fern-like fronds, such as the
Corystospermaceae. Some palaeobotanists also included seed plant groups with entire leaves such as the
Glossopteridales
Glossopteridales is an extinct order of plants belonging to Pteridospermatophyta, or seed ferns, also known as Arberiales and Ottokariales. They arose at the beginning of the Permian () on the southern continent of Gondwana, but became extinct a ...
and
Gigantopteridales, which was stretching the concept. In the context of modern phylogenetic models,
the groups often referred to as pteridosperms appear to be liberally spread across a range of clades, and many palaeobotanists today would regard pteridosperms as little more than a
paraphyletic
In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In ...
'grade-group' with no common lineage. One of the few characters that may unify the group is that the
ovule
In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the '' integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the ...
s were borne in a
cupule, a group of enclosing branches, but this has not been confirmed for all "pteridosperm" groups.
Phylogeny
An alternative phylogeny of spermatophytes based on the work by Novíkov & Barabaš-Krasni 2015 with plant taxon authors from Anderson, Anderson & Cleal 2007
showing the relationship of extinct clades.
Taxonomy
* Family ?†
Nystroemiaceae Wang & Pfefferkorn 2009
* Order ?†
Alexiales Anderson & Anderson (2003)
** Family †
Alexiaceae Anderson & Anderson (2003)
* Order ?†
Calamopityales
The Calamopityales are an extinct order of plants belonging to Pteridospermatophyta
The term Pteridospermatophyta (or "seed ferns" or "Pteridospermatopsida") is a polyphyletic group of extinct seed-bearing plants ( spermatophytes). The earlie ...
Němejc (1963) Taylor & Taylor (1992)">uteoxylales Taylor & Taylor (1992)** Family †
Calamopityaceae (Solm. (1896)) Scott (1909) Barnard & Long (1973); Stenomyelaceae Scott (1923)">uteoxylaceae Barnard & Long (1973); Stenomyelaceae Scott (1923)* Order ?†
Erdtmanithecales Friis and Pedersen (1996)
** Family †
Erdtmanithecaceae Friis and Pedersen (1996)
* Order ?†
Hlatimbiales Anderson & Anderson (2003)
** Family †
Hlatimbiaceae Anderson & Anderson (2003)
* Order †
Umkomasiales Doweld (2001) (Němejc 1950)">orystospermales; Ptilozamitales (Němejc 1950)** Family †
Angaropeltidaceae Doweld (2001) Meyen 1977">ardiolepidaceae Meyen 1977** Family †
Umkomasiaceae Petriella (1981) (
Corystospermaceae (Thomas (1933)) Stockey & Rothwel nom. illeg.; Zuberiaceae
Němejc (1968); Pachypteridaceae
de Zigno; Ptilozamitaceae
Němejc (1950)]
* Class ?†
Arberiopsida Doweld (2001) Němejc 1968">lealopsida; Dicranophyllopsida Němejc 1968** Order †
Dicranophyllales Meyen (1984) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007)
*** Family †
Dicranophyllaceae Němejc (1959) ex Archangelsky & Cúneo (1990)
** Order †
Aberiales Meyen (1978) ex Meyen (1984)
*** Family †
Schmeissneriaceae Zhou (1997)
*** Family †
Arberiaceae (Rigby (1972) Anderson & Anderson (1985)
* Class †
Moresnetiopsida Doweld (2001) Doweld (2001); Elkinsiophytina">oresnetiophyta Doweld (2001); Elkinsiophytina** Order †
Tetrastichiales Němejc (1968)
*** Family †
Tetrastichiaceae Němejc (1968)
** Order †
Pullarithecales Doweld (1998)
*** Family †
Gnetopsidaceae Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Pullarithecaceae Doweld (1998
*** Family †
Calathiopsidaceae Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Austrocalyxaceae Vega & Archangelsky (2001)
** Order †
Moresnetiales Doweld (2001) Rothwell, Scheckler & Gillespie (1989); Hydraspermatales Krassilov (1989)">lkinsiales Rothwell, Scheckler & Gillespie (1989); Hydraspermatales Krassilov (1989)*** Family †
Eurystomataceae Long (1975)
*** Family †
Eospermatacesidae Long (1975)
*** Family †
Moresnetiaceae Němejc (1963) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007) ; Elkinsiaceae Rothwell, Scheckler & Gillespie (1989) ex Cleal; Hydraspermaceae">enomospermaceae Long (1975); Elkinsiaceae Rothwell, Scheckler & Gillespie (1989) ex Cleal; Hydraspermaceae* Class †
Lyginopteridopsida
The Lyginopteridales were the archetypal pteridosperms: They were the first plant fossils to be described as pteridosperms and, thus, the group on which the concept of pteridosperms was first developed;Oliver, F. W. & Scott, D. H. (1904). "On th ...
Novák (1961) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007) agenostomatopsida Cleal (1993); Lyginopteridophyta Doweld (2001); Lyginopteridophytina** Order ?†
Hexapterospermales Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Colpospermaceae Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Hexapterospermaceae Doweld (2001) nom cons. (Halle (1933)) Remy & Remy (1959) emend. Anderson & Anderson (2007)">otonieaceae (Halle (1933)) Remy & Remy (1959) emend. Anderson & Anderson (2007)** Order †
Lyginopteridales
The Lyginopteridales were the archetypal pteridosperms: They were the first plant fossils to be described as pteridosperms and, thus, the group on which the concept of pteridosperms was first developed;Oliver, F. W. & Scott, D. H. (1904). "On t ...
(Corsin (1960)) Havlena (1961) Seward ex Long (1975); Lyginodendrales Nemejc (1968); Sphenopteridales Schimper 1869">agenostomatales Seward ex Long (1975); Lyginodendrales Nemejc (1968); Sphenopteridales Schimper 1869*** Family †
Angaranthaceae Naugolnykh (2012)
*** Family †
Heterangiaceae Němejc (1950) nom. nud.
*** Family †
Physostomataceae Long (1975)
*** Family †
Lyginopteridaceae Potonie (1900) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007) [Lagenostomataceae
Long (1975; Pityaceae
Scott (1909); Lyginodendraceae
Scott (1909); Sphenopteridaceae
Gopp. (1842); Pseudopecopteridaceae
Lesquereux (1884); Megaloxylaceae
Scott (1909), nom. rej.; Rhetinangiaceae
Scott (1923), nom. rej.; Tetratmemaceae
Němejc (1968)]
* Class †Pachytestopsida
Doweld (2001) [Medullosopsida
nom. nud.; Trigonocarpopsida
nom. nud.; Medullosae]
** Order †Codonospermales
Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Codonospermaceae Doweld (2001) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007)
** Order †
Pachytestales Doweld (2001) (
Medullosales Corsin (1960); Trigonocarpales
Seward 1917 nom. inv.; Neuropteridales
Schimper (1869); Rhexoxylales]
*** Family †
Potonieaceae Halle (1933) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007) achivestitaceae; Perispermaceae*** Family †
Polylophospermaceae Doweld (2001) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007)
*** Family †
Stephanospermaceae Doweld (2001) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007)
*** Family †
Trigonocarpaceae Göppert (1842)
*** Family †
Neuropteridaceae Laveine (1966) Trapl (1926) sensu Corsin (1960); Neurodontopteridaceae Laveine (1966)">ncl. Odontopteridaceae Trapl (1926) sensu Corsin (1960); Neurodontopteridaceae Laveine (1966)*** Family †
Pachytestaceae Doweld (2001) (
Medullosaceae (Gopp. (1842)) Sterzel (1896); Whittleseyaceae
Remy & Remy (1959); Protoblechnaceae
Wagner (1967); Neuralethospermaceae
Laveine (1967))
*** Family †
Callipteridaceae Corsin ex Wagner (1965) allipteridiaceae; Callipteraceae*** Family †
Alethopteridaceae (Lesquereux (1884)) Corsin (1960) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007)
*** Family †
Cyclopteridaceae Corsin ex Wagner (1964)
* Class †
Callistophytopsida allistophytina** Order †
Callistophytales
The Callistophytales was an order of mainly scrambling and lianescent plants found in the wetland "coal swamps" of Euramerica and Cathaysia. They were characterised by having bilaterally-symmetrical, non-cupulate ovules attached to the underside ...
Rothwell (1981) emend. Anderson, Anderson & Cleal (2007) Němejc (1968)">oroxylales Němejc (1968)
*** Family †
Cornucarpaceae Doweld (2001) remopteridaceae*** Family †
Callistophytaceae
The Callistophytaceae was a family of seed ferns (pteridosperms) from the Carboniferous and Permian periods. They first appeared in late Middle Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) times, 306.5–311.7 million years ago ( Ma) in the tropical coal forests o ...
Stidd & Hall (1970), nom. cons. Němejc (1968); Callospermariaceae Long (1975)">ariopteridaceae Němejc (1968); Callospermariaceae Long (1975)* Class †
Peltaspermopsida Doweld (2001) Němejc (1968); Psygmophyllopsida Koidzumi (1939)">eltaspermidae Němejc (1968); Psygmophyllopsida Koidzumi (1939)** Order †
Sporophyllitales Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Sporophyllitaceae Doweld (2001)
*** Family †
Leuthardtiaceae Doweld (2001)
** Order †
Trichopityales Doweld (2001) Nakai (1943)">sygmophyllales Nakai (1943)*** Family †Psygmophyllaceae
Zalessky (1937) emend. Naugolnykh
*** Family †Syniopteridaceae
Petrescu & Dragastan (1981)
*** Family †Trichopityaceae
Němejc (1968) [Florin emend.]
** Order †
Peltaspermales
The Peltaspermales are an extinct order of plants belonging to Pteridospermatophyta
The term Pteridospermatophyta (or "seed ferns" or "Pteridospermatopsida") is a polyphyletic group of extinct seed-bearing plants (spermatophytes). The earlies ...
Taylor (1981) [Lepidopteridales
Němejc (1968)]
*** Family †Autuniaceae
Doweld (2001)
*** Family †Peltaspermaceae
(Thomas (1933)) Pilger & Melchoir (1954)) [Compsopteridaceae
Petrescu & Dragastan (1981); Cycadopteridaceae
Laguzen (1887); Thinnfeldiaceae
Zimmerman (1959); Lepidopteridaceae
Němejc (1968)]
*** Family †Vetlugospermaceae
Naugolnykh (2012)
* Class †Phasmatocycadopsida
Doweld (2001)
** Order †Phasmatocycadales
Doweld (2001) [Taeniopteridales]
*** Family †Phasmatocycadaceae
Doweld (2001) [Spermopteridaceae
Doweld (2001)]
** Order †
Gigantopteridales Li & Yao (1983) [Gigantonomiales
Meyen (1987)]
*** Family †Emplectopteridaceae
Wagner (1967)
*** Family †Gigantopteridaceae
Koidzumi (1936) [Cardioglossaceae
Koidzumi ex Jongmans (1958); Gigantonomiaceae
Meyen (1987)]
* Class †Pentoxylopsida
Pant ex Doweld (2001) [Pentoxylophytina
Lemoigne (1988); Pentoxyla]
** Order †Pentoxylales
Pilger & Melchior (1954)
*** Family †Lindthecaceae
Anderson & Anderson (2003)
*** Family †Pentoxylaceae
Pilger & Melchior (1954) [Pentoxyleae
Sahni (1948)]
* Class †Dictyopteridiopsida
Doweld (2001) [Ottokariopsida
Anderson & Anderson (2007); Glossopteridopsida
Plumstead (1956)]
** Family †Gangamopteridaceae
Nicholson & Lydekker (1889)
** Order †Dictyopteridiales
McLoughlin ex Doweld (2001) [Ottokariales
Anderson & Anderson (1985)]
*** Family †Breyteniaceae
Doweld (2001)
*** Family †Dictyopteridiaceae
Rigby (1978) [Ottokariaceae
Anderson & Anderson (1985); Scutaceae
Rigby (1978), nom. illeg.]
** Order †Lidgettoniales
Doweld (2001)
*** Family †Denkaniaceae
Doweld (2001)
*** Family †Parthaceae
Doweld (2001)
*** Family †Lidgettoniaceae
Anderson & Anderson (1985)
** Order †Rigbyales
Doweld (2001) (
Glossopteridales
Glossopteridales is an extinct order of plants belonging to Pteridospermatophyta, or seed ferns, also known as Arberiales and Ottokariales. They arose at the beginning of the Permian () on the southern continent of Gondwana, but became extinct a ...
Luber & Schwedov (1963), nom. rej.]
*** Family †Rigbyaceae
Anderson & Anderson (1985) (Glossopteridaceae
(Trapl (1926)) Zimmermann (1930), nom rej.]
* Class †Cycadeoideopsida
Scott (1923) [Cycadeoideophyta
Taylor (1981); Cycadeoideidae
Němejc (1968); Bennettitopsida
Engler (1897); Bennettitophyta
Kravtsov & Poljarnaja (1995); Bennettitidae
Davitashvili (1949); Cycadoidea]
** Order †Fredlindiales
Anderson & Anderson (2003)
*** Family †Fredlindiaceae
Anderson & Anderson (2003)
** Order †Cycadeoideales
Berry (1920) [Bennettitales
(Engler (1892)) Schaffn.; Williamsoniales
Berry (1920); Wielandiales
Nemejc (1950) nom. nud. ]
*** Family †Benneticarpaceae
Anderson & Anderson
*** Family †Laurozamitiaceae
Anderson & Anderson
*** Family †Macrotaeniopteridaceae
Bock 1969
*** Family †Sturianthaceae
Doweld (2001) [Sturiellaceae
Němejc]
*** Family †Varderkloeftiaceae
Anderson & Anderson
*** Family †Westersheimiaceae
Němejc (1968)
*** Family †Williamsoniaceae
(Carruthers (1870)) Nathorst (1943)
*** Family †Williamsoniellaceae
Nakai (1943) [Wielandiellaceae
(Novak (1954)) Němejc (1968)]
*** Family †Cycadeoideaceae
R. Br. ex Wieland (1908) [Bennettitaceae
Engler (1892); Pterophyllaceae
Nakai (1943)]
* Class †Caytoniopsida
Thomas ex Frenguelli (1946) [Caytoniophytina
Doweld (2001); Caytonia]
** Order †Caytoniales
Gothan (1932)
*** Family †Caytoniaceae
(Thomas (1925)) Kräusel (1926)
* Class †Axelrodiopsida
Anderson & Anderson
** Order †Axelrodiales
Anderson & Anderson (2007)
*** Family †Zamiostrobacea
Anderson & Anderson (2007)
*** Family †Axelrodiaceae
Anderson & Anderson (2007)
References
External links
Seed fern paleontology
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1130372
Pteridospermatophyta,
Plant divisions
Prehistoric plants
Devonian plants
Carboniferous plants
Permian plants
Triassic plants
Jurassic plants
Cretaceous plants
Paleocene plants
Eocene plants
Devonian first appearances
Eocene extinctions
Paraphyletic groups