Common names:
Gnetophytes.Taxonomic notes:
Three families, each with one genus, totalling 65 species in this treatment. Some authors have separated the Gnetales from the rest of the gymnosperms at the rank of Division (Gnetophyta Bessey 1907), Subdivision (Gnetophytina Cronquist, Takht. & Zimmerm. ex Reveal 1996), Class (Gnetopsida Thom 1886), or Subclass (Gnetidae Cronquist, Takht. & Zimmerm. ex Reveal 1996), with the rank of subdivision perhaps most plausible in view of the extreme differences between the gnetophytes and the other gymnosperms.Description:
Range:
Big Tree:
Oldest:
Dendrochronology:
Ethnobotany:
Observations:
Remarks:
Gnetophytes are considered from morphological and molecular evidence to share a common ancestry with the flowering plants. Gnetophytes are mainly tropical to subtropical (1).Citations:
(1) "Gymnosperm," Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia.[home]
This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/gnetales.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.net
Last modified on 2-Feb-1999