Article
Article
Asteroxylales
Article By:
Bateman, Richard M. Department of Geology, Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
DiMichele, William A. Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.757412
A small extinct order of the class Lycopsida that bridges the evolutionary gap between the primitive Zosterophyllopsida and relatively advanced Lycopsida. Members of the order Asteroxylales (asteroxylaleans) are often termed prelycopsids. The best-known asteroxylalean species are of Early Devonian age, although similar forms survived to the Late Devonian. All possessed at least some hydrophytic features; together with a paucity of strengthening tissues, this characteristic suggests that they largely relied on hydrostatic pressure for structural support. See also: Zosterophyllopsida
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