Gnetophyta
E17578
Gnetophyta is a small, unusual division of gymnosperms that includes genera like Ephedra, Gnetum, and Welwitschia, notable for their diverse morphologies and debated evolutionary relationships among seed plants.
Observed surface forms (3)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Gnetales | 2 |
| Gnetum | 1 |
| gnetophytes | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
gymnosperm
ⓘ
plant division ⓘ |
| clade |
seed plants
ⓘ
spermatophytes ⓘ |
| commonName |
Gnetophyta
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
gnetophytes
|
| containsGenus |
Ephedra
ⓘ
Gnetophyta self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
Gnetum
Welwitschia mirabilis ⓘ
surface form:
Welwitschia
|
| distinguishedFrom | angiosperms by lack of true flowers and fruits ⓘ |
| economicUse | source of ephedrine from Ephedra species ⓘ |
| evolutionaryStatus | small relictual lineage ⓘ |
| fossilRecord | Mesozoic origin suggested ⓘ |
| geographicDistribution |
Americas
ⓘ
arid regions of Africa ⓘ arid regions of Asia ⓘ subtropical regions ⓘ tropical regions ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
absence of fruits
ⓘ
absence of true flowers ⓘ compound strobili ⓘ dioecy in many species ⓘ distinctive seed envelopes ⓘ double fertilization-like processes in some taxa ⓘ micropylar tube in ovules ⓘ opposite leaves in many species ⓘ presence of lignin ⓘ prolonged pollination droplet ⓘ secondary growth in many species ⓘ siphonogamous fertilization ⓘ striate pollen in some genera ⓘ vessels in xylem ⓘ |
| includes |
desert shrubs
ⓘ
extreme desert specialists ⓘ lianas ⓘ small trees ⓘ |
| isA |
vascular plant group
ⓘ
woody plant group ⓘ |
| kingdom | Plantae ⓘ |
| numberOfLivingGenera | 3 ⓘ |
| photosyntheticPathway | C3 ⓘ |
| phylogeneticDebate | relationships among seed plants are controversial ⓘ |
| phylogeneticHypothesis |
formerly hypothesized as close to angiosperms
ⓘ
sister to conifers in many molecular analyses ⓘ |
| phylogeneticPosition | gymnosperm ⓘ |
| pollinationMode |
insect pollination in some species
ⓘ
wind pollination in many species ⓘ |
| reproductiveType | gymnospermous ⓘ |
| seedType | naked seeds ⓘ |
| taxonRank | division ⓘ |
Referenced by (8)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
gnetophytes
this entity surface form:
Gnetum
this entity surface form:
Gnetales