Cycadophyta (Noun)
Meaning
Palmlike gymnosperms: includes the surviving order Cycadales and several extinct orders; possibly not a natural group; in some systems considered a class (Cycadopsida) and in others a subdivision (Cycadophytina or Cycadophyta).
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The fossil record indicates that the class Cycadophyta was highly diverse during the Mesozoic Era.
- The class Cycadophyta is often placed in the division Gymnospermae alongside conifers and gnetales.
- Fossil evidence from the Paleozoic Era suggests that the division Cycadophyta evolved early in the history of vascular plants.
- Because Cycadophyta is a grouping of uncertain relationships among various extinct and extant forms, the status is often a matter of debate among scientists.
- In an attempt to resolve taxonomic discrepancies, some plant classification systems categorize Cycadophyta as Cycadopsida.