Utrechtiaceae is an extinct family of
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s related to modern
conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
s.
[GBIF]
/ref> This family dates back to the late Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
and Early Permian 01 or '01 may refer to:
* The year 2001, or any year ending with 01
* The month of January
* 1 (number)
Music
* '01 (Richard Müller album), 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001
* 01 (Son of Dave album), ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000
* 01 (Urban ...
.[ Voltziales (palaeos.org)]
/ref>
Description
They were forest trees with almost horizontal standing leafy lateral shoots and with vertical tribes. They were generally small trees.[ At least with ''Utrechtia piniformis'' the side shoots are in whorls.Early Conifers]
/ref>
Like other Voltzialean plants, they had compact ovulate cones bearing bilateral bract-scale complexes. The leaves are scale-like, arranged spirally and only a few millimeters long.
Genera
Utrechtiaceae include the following selected genera:[
* '' Ernestiodendron'' Florin, 1934
* '' Lebachiella'' S.V. Meyen, 1997
* '' Ortiseia'' R. Florin, 1964
* '' Moyliostrobus'' C.N. Miller & J.T. Brown, 1973 : known from the Lower Permian of Texas (''Moyliostrobus texanum'').
* '' Otovicia''
* '' Utrechtia'' G.W. Rothwell & G. Mapes, 2003
]
See also
*
References
Paleobiology Database
* Charles B. Beck: Origin and Evolution of Gymnosperms. Columbia University Press, New York 1988
* Wilson Nichols Stewart,Gar W. Rothwel
Paleobotany and the Evolution of Plants
* G.W. Rothwell, Gene Mape
Validation of the names Utrechtiaceae, Utrechtia, and Utrechtia floriniformis
* Edith L. Taylor,Thomas N. Taylor,Michael Kring
Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants
Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs 1993, S. 676-679.
Voltziales
Prehistoric plant families
{{carboniferous-plant-stub