Anisophyton

Anisophyton
Temporal range: Emsian[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Lycophytes
Plesion: Zosterophylls
Genus: Anisophyton

Anisophyton was a genus of Early Devonian land plant with branching axes.[2] Known fossils are of Emsian age (408 to 393 million years ago).[1]

A cladogram published in 2004 by Crane et al. places Anisophyton in the core of a paraphyletic stem group of broadly defined "zosterophylls", basal to the lycopsids (living and extinct clubmosses and relatives).[3]

lycophytes
       

† Hicklingia

 †basal groups 

Adoketophyton, Discalis, Distichophytum (=Rebuchia), Gumuia, Huia, Zosterophyllum myretonianum, Z. llanoveranum, Z. fertile

 †'core' zosterophylls

Zosterophyllum divaricatum, Tarella, Oricilla, Gosslingia, Hsua, Thrinkophyton, Protobarinophyton, Barinophyton obscurum, B. citrulliforme, Sawdonia, Deheubarthia, Konioria, Anisophyton, Serrulacaulis, Crenaticaulis

 †basal groups 

Nothia, Zosterophyllum deciduum

lycopsids

extant and extinct members

References

  1. ^ a b Remy, W.; Hass, H. & Schultka, S. (1986). "Anisophyton potoniei nov. spec. aus den Kühlbacher Schichten (Emsian) vom Steinbruch Ufersmühle, Wiehltalsperre". Argumenta Palaeobotanica. 7: 123–138.
  2. ^ Boyce, C.K. (2008). "How green was Cooksonia? The importance of size in understanding the early evolution of physiology in the vascular plant lineage". Paleobiology. 34 (2): 179–194. doi:10.1666/0094-8373(2008)034[0179:HGWCTI]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0094-8373.
  3. ^ Crane, P.R.; Herendeen, P.; Friis, E.M. (2004). "Fossils and plant phylogeny". American Journal of Botany. 91 (10): 1683–99. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.10.1683. PMID 21652317.