Taxodiaceae

Encyclopedia : T : TA : TAX : Taxodiaceae

The Taxodiaceae was at one time regarded as a distinct plant family comprising the following ten genera of coniferous trees:

Athrotaxis
Cryptomeria
Cunninghamia
Glyptostrobus
Metasequoia
Sciadopitys
Sequoia
Sequoiadendron
Taiwania
Taxodium

However, recent research has shown that the Taxodiaceae, with the single exception of Sciadopitys, should be merged into the family Cupressaceae. There are no consistent characters by which they can be separated, and genetic evidence demonstrates close relationships; this merging now becoming widely accepted.

The one exception, the genus Sciadopitys, is genetically very distinct from all other conifers, and now treated in a family of its own, Sciadopityaceae.

References and External links

[Gymnosperm Database - Cupressaceae]
[Gymnosperm Database - Sciadopityaceae]

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