Aglaophyton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aglaophyton Temporal range: Early Devonian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Reconstruction of the sporophyte of Aglaophyton, illustrating bifurcating axes with terminal sporangia, and rhizoids. Insets show a cross-section of a sporangium and the probable spores.
Scientific classification
Clade:	Polysporangiophytes
Genus:	†Aglaophyton D.S.Edwards 1986
Species
†A. major (Kidston & Lang 1920) Edwards 1986
Synonyms
Lyonophyton Remy & Remy 1980

Aglaophyton is a genus of early Devonian fossil land plants. Its fossils have been found in the Rhynie chert. Only the sporophyte generation have been found as fossils. Only one species has been found, Aglaophyton major.

Relationship to other plants

Aglaophyton was at first thought to be a species of the vascular plant genus Rhynia which lived at the same time. Later it was discovered that it is not really a vascular plant. It had vascular tissue, but the cells had thin walls. It might therefore be a missing link between the Bryophytes and Horneophyton and the vascular plants like Rhynia.

In 2004, Crane et al. published a cladogram which has Aglaophyton as the sister group of the vascular plants.

Images for kids

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  Aglaophyton major

See also

In Spanish: Aglaophyton major para niños