Biology:Aneurophytales

From HandWiki
Short description: Extinct order of trees

Aneurophytales
Temporal range: Emsian–Tournaisian
File:Aneurophyton germanicum.jpg
Reconstruction of Aneurophyton germanicum
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Class: Progymnospermopsida
Order: Aneurophytales
Beck (1976)
Families
  • †Aneurophytaceae

The Aneurophytales are an extinct order of progymnosperms, considered among the earliest plants to produce true wood via a vascular cambium. They represent a crucial evolutionary link between simpler trimerophytes and more advanced seed plants.[1]

Description

These plants were spore-bearing, lacked true leaves, and used photosynthetic stems for energy production. They exhibited three-dimensional branching patterns and possessed a lobed or actinostelic stele with secondary xylem. Some species, like Aneurophyton, likely grew as shrubs or climbing vines, while others such as Tetraxylopteris may have had non-self-supporting aerial stems.[2][1][3]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q21290930 entry