Plant Phylogeny
Green plants – viridophytes (preceded)
Land plants – embryophytes (and these preceded)
Vascular plants – tracheophytes (and these preceded)
Seed plants – spermatophytes (and these preceded)
Flowering plants - angiosperms
Spermatophytes
aka Seed Plants
 By far the most diverse lineage within the
vascular plants. Most of this diversity is
accounted for by just one subclade: the
flowering plants (angiosperms). The
gynosperms also are included in
spermatophytes but ferns and fern allies
are not.
Seed Plants
 Gymnosperms and angiosperms are
grouped together as seed plants.
 Both have ovules.
 Both have pollen
 Gymnosperms and angiosperms differ in
the location of the ovules and pollen sacs
on the plant.
Major Characteristics of
Spermatophytes
 Seeds present; plant producing flowers
or woody or sometimes pulpy or scaly
seed cones or rarely solitary large seeds;
plant not producing spores visible to the
naked eye, the spores enclosed within
the young flower or cone, the sporelike
pollen normally not germinating on moist
ground.
Extant Lineages of
Spermatophytes
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Cycads (Cycadales)
Ginkgos (Ginkgoales)
Conifers (Coniferales)
Gnetophytes (Gnetales)
Flowering Plants (Angiospermae)
Gymnosperms
 Flowers none; seeds not enclosed in an
ovary, the ovules and seeds naked, the
seeds wedged between the scales of a
woody or sometimes pulpy or scaly cone
(rarely enclosed in the scales) or
sometimes solitary or in pairs or on the
margins of reduced specilaized leaves;
pollen produced in soft cones.
Angiosperms
(Flowering Plants)
 Flowers present, including stamens or
pistils or both and usually sepals and
petals; seeds enclosed in an ovary, which
(with the enclosed seeds and sometimes
associated structures) becomes a fruit at
maturity.
Cycads
 130 species on earth.
 Squat trunks, with limited secondary
xylem, and large compound leaves
resembling those of ferns or palms.
 Plants are dioecious (meaning some
bear strobilli producing only seed
whereas others bear only pollen strobilli.
Cycad example
Megasporangium on cycad
Ginkgos
 There is just one surviving species (Ginkgo
biloba) within ginkgoales.
 Species is hardly known in the wild, but it has
been maintained for centuries around temples
in China.
 Spread by humans around the world as an
ornamental tree for gardens.
 Ginkgoales are well-known in the fossil record.
 Ginkgos are dioecious.
Ginkgo(Megasporangium
on short branches)
Ginkgo (microsporangia
on branches)
Conifers
 600 or so living species of conifers.
 Shrubs or trees with well-developed
wood and often needlelike leaves.
 Leaves are borne singly along stem, but
in Pinus are clustered in short shoots.
 Many conifers are monoecious. Some,
like Juniperus are dioecious.
Conifers
 Branch of Engelman spruce with pollen strobili
and ovulate cone
Juniperus virginiana
Family: Cupressaceae
Gnetophytes
 Contains only about 75 living species.
 Ephedera (with about 40 species in deserts
around the world) has very reduced scale-like
leaves.
 Ephedra torreyana S. Wats. grows in extreme
southwestern Great Plains, and is native to
Utah and Nevada. (Sometimes commonly
known as Mormon Tea).
Gnetophytes
 Gnetum sp ovules
Ephedra
Male Cones on Ephedra
Angiosperms
 The flowering plants include two
subclasses: the Dicotyledoneae and
Monocotyledoneae.
 Nearly all of the flowering trees are
dicotyledons.
 The grasses, bamboos, palms are
monocots.
Dicotyledoneae
 Leaves netted-veined; taproot usually present;
flower parts in whorls of 2,4, or 5 (or very rarely
3); vascular bundles or woody tissue of the
stem arranged in a single cylinder (“ring” as
seen in cross section); cambium present,
adding layers of wood (primarily xylem)
internally and of bark (primarily phloem)
externally each growing season; cotyledons 2
(or rarely 3 or more).
Monocotyledoneae
 Leaves with the main veins close together and
parallel to the midrib or rarely diverging from it,
but parallel and close to each other; taproot not
present, the root system of several or many
approximately equal members (fibrous); flower
parts in whorls of 3 (or very rarely 2 or 4 or
more); vascular bundles of the stem scattered
apparently irregularly through pithy tissue;
cambium none or in a few woody plants adding
whole vascular bundles and pithy tissue both
internally and externally; cotyledon 1.
Magnoliidae
 The most primitive extant angiosperms are
classified by Cronquist in the subclass
Magnoliidae.
 Most species are trees and shrubs with
alternate, simple, and often entire leaves.
 There are several lineages in which the
herbaceous condition predominates.
 Often, the flowers have showy tepals that are
poorly differentiated into sepals and petals.
Magnollidae
 Consists of eight orders, 39 families, and
approximately 11,000 species.
 Several of the families are monogeneric,
and a few have only a single species.
 Several families and genera have widely
disjunct ranges suggesting a once more
widespread and continuous range.
Magnoliidae Orders
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Magnoliales –terrestrial with ethereal oil cells
Laurales –terrestrial with ethereal oil cells
Piperales - terrestrial with ethereal oil cells
Aristolochiales - terrestrial with ethereal oil cells
Illiciales - terrestrial with ethereal oil cells
Ranunculales –terrestrial lacking ethereal oil cells
Papaverales –terrestrial lacking ethereal oil cells.
Nymphaeales -aquatic
Magnoliaceae
 The Magnolia family from the se United States to southern Brazil,
and from the Himalyas to Japan. 12 genera and about 220
species. All three of the genera that occur in the New World also
are represented by Old World species.
 Fossils indicate the family once occurred in western North
America.
 Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, simple, stipulate, plants
synoecious.
 Inflorescences of solitary flowers. Flowers large, perfect, regular.
 Tepals in whorls of 3 or sometimes spiralled.
 Stamens many, distinct.
 Carpels many.
 Ovaries superior.
 Fruit an elongated aggregate of woody follicles or samaras.
Liriodendron tulipifera
Magnolia sp.
Ranunculaceae
 Herbs, shrubs, or woody vines. Leaves alternate,
opposite, or whorled, simple to several times
compound, estipulate (rarely stipulate). Plants
synoecious (rarely dioecious). Inflorescences various,
determinate or indeterminate or flowers solitary.
Flowers perfect (rarely imperfect), regular (sometimes
irregular). Sepals 4-many, distinct, often petaloid.
Petals 0 to 4-5 (sometimes many), distinct. Stamens
many (sometimes 5-10) distinct, spiralled, developing
centripetally. Carpels 5-many (rarely 1-3) distinct,
rarely 5, connate); ovaries superior with 1 locule and 1many basal or marginal ovules; styles 1 per carpel,
distinct, undivided. Fruit a cluster of achenes or
follicles (rarely a berry or capsule).
Ranunculaceae
 Cosmopolitan family particularly wellrepresented in temperate zones and
montane environments especially in the
northern hemisphere.
 Medium sized family of about 50 genera
and 2000 species.
 Most are perennial herbs.
Ranuculaceae
Anemone sp
Ranunculaceae in
Montana
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Anemone
Clematis
Aconitum
Delphinium
Aquilegia
Actaea
Caltha
Trollius
Coptis
Myosurus
Adonis
Ranunculus
Trautvetteria
Thalictrum
Papaveraceae
 Herbs or shrubs (rarely trees) often with milky or
colored sap (sometimes only in the roots). Leaves
alternate or opposite (whorled), simple to pinnately
much dissected, estipulate. Plants synoecious.
Inflorescences various, determinate or indeterminate or
flowers solitary. Flowers perfect, regular or isobilateral.
Hypanthium absent (present in one genus). Sepals 2,
3, or 4 distinct, falling as the flower opens. Petals 4, 6,
or 8 (12-16) (0), distinct, often crumpled. Stamens (412) many, distinct, spirally attached. Filaments
sometimes weakly adnate at base to petals. Carpels
2-many, connate (rarely nearly distinct); fruit a capsule
or a cluster of indehiscent follicles.
Papaveraceae
 Mostly temperate family of about 25 genera and 200
species.
 The greatest diversity is in areas with Mediterranean
climates.
 The two principal centers of distribution are western
North America (12 strictly American genera) and
eastern Asia (9 genera).
 Most poppies are herbs or shrubs.
 Most have milky or colored sap, and is bitter tasting
containing significant quantities of mildly toxis to very
poisonous alkaloids.
 Foliage of poppies is seldom eaten by herbivores.
Papaveraceae in Montana
 Argemone
 Glaucium
 Papaver
Argeome sp.
Papaver sp.