Encyclopedia.com > Dictionaries, Thesauruses, Pictures, and Press Releases > A Dictionary of Biology > January 2004

zosterophyllophytes

A Dictionary of Biology | 2004 | 625 words | Copyright

zosterophyllophytes (zosterophylls) A group of extinct vascular plants that lived in the Devonian period. They were small herbs, similar in many ways to the rhyniophytes; for example, members of the principal genus, Zosterophyllum, grew about 15 cm tall in swampy areas and had naked stems that branched dichotomously (equally). However, other members evolved lateral branches and scalelike outgrowths. Moreover, the arrangement of their spore-forming organs and xylem indicates that they represent a line of evolution, separate from the rhyniophytes, that led to the lycophytes (e.g. clubmosses) but not to the seed plants.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"zosterophyllophytes." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"zosterophyllophytes." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-zosterophyllophytes.html

"zosterophyllophytes." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-zosterophyllophytes.html

Learn more about citation styles

Find thousands of answers for hundreds of subjects at Answers Encyclopedia .

All answers verified by trusted sources at Encyclopedia.com

Try Answers Encyclopedia now!

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including: