RECONSTRUCTIONS OF ARCHAEOPTERIS, AND FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF ITS PHYLOGENETIC POSITION

Abstract

B eck , C. B. (U. Michigan, Ann Arbor.) Reconstructions of Archaeopteris, and further consideration of its phylogenetic position. Amer. Jour. Bot. 49(4): 373–382. Illus. 1962.—Two reconstructions, one of a branch bearing the basal part of 3 leaves and the other of the habit, are presented with the evidence upon which they are based. An analysis is made of some features which characterize the ferns. These, and characters of Archaeopteris , are considered in the light of present knowledge of evolutionary trends, and the conclusion is reached that Archaeopteris was neither a primitive fern nor a fern ancestor. Additional evidence is discussed which supports the view that the plant was a progymnosperm.