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.

All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
Gnetophyta canonical 6
Gnetales 4
Gnetopsida 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf gymnosperm
plant division
clade seed plants
spermatophytes
commonName gnetophytes
linked to: Gnetophyta
containsGenus Ephedra
Gnetum
linked to: Gnetophyta

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

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Pinophyta sisterGroup Gnetophyta
Gnetophyta containsGenus Gnetum
linked to: Gnetophyta
Gnetophyta commonName gnetophytes
linked to: Gnetophyta
Spermatophyta includes Gnetophyta
Welwitschia mirabilis order Gnetales
linked to: Gnetophyta
Welwitschia mirabilis division Gnetophyta
Ephedra order Gnetales
linked to: Gnetophyta
Ephedra division Gnetophyta
Gymnosperm Phylogeny Group worksOnTaxa Gnetales
linked to: Gnetophyta
Taxales relatedTo Gnetales
linked to: Gnetophyta
Welwitschiaceae division Gnetophyta
Welwitschiaceae phylum Gnetophyta
Welwitschiaceae class Gnetopsida
linked to: Gnetophyta