Zosterophyllum

Zosterophyllum Temporal range: Silurian to Devonian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Reconstruction of Zosterophyllum sp. at MUSE - Science Museum in Trento
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Tracheophyta
Subdivision:	Lycophytina
Class:	†Zosterophyllopsida
Genus:	†Zosterophyllum Penh. (1892)
Species
†Z. australianum Lang & Cookson (1930) †Z. bifurcatum Li & Cai †Z. deciduum Gerrienne †Z. divaricatum †Z. fertile Leclercq (1942) †Z. llanoveranum Croft & Lang (1942) †Z. longum (Høeg) Høeg (1967) †Z. minor Ananiev (1960) †Z. minutum †Z. myretonianum Penh. †Z. rhenanum Kräusel & Weyland (1935) †Z. spectabile †Z. yunnanicum Hsü

Zosterophyllum was a genus of Silurian-Devonian vascular land plant with branching axes on which kidney-shaped sporangia were arranged in lateral positions.

Some species have been transferred to other genera:

• Z. artesianum to Danziella artesiana
• Z. contiguum to Demersatheca contigua
• Z. subverticillatum to Adoketophyton subverticillatum

A cladogram published in 2004 by Crane et al. places the species of Zosterophyllum in a paraphyletic stem group of broadly defined "zosterophylls", basal to the lycopsids (living and extinct clubmosses and relatives).^[1]

lycophytes

†Hicklingia †basal groups (Adoketophyton, Discalis, Distichophytum (=Rebuchia), Gumuia, Huia, Zosterophyllum myretonianum, Z. lianoveranum, 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. 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. Retrieved 2011-01-27.

External links

• Cladogram from Crane, Herendeen & Friis 2004