Lycopsida
/lʌɪˈkɒpsɪdə
/plural noun Botany
A class of pteridophyte plants that comprises the clubmosses and their extinct relatives.Asteroxylon could be seen as an intermediate in the evolution of true leaves in the Lycopsida....
- For example each of the major taxa of vascular plants may be considered as either Classes (e.g. Lycopsida) or the next higher rank, a Division.
- The clade Lycopsida, of which the living lycopsids are members, also diverged in the Early Devonian.
Derivatives
lycopsid
- Herbaceous ‘ferns’ and lycopsids became rare to absent, although lycopsid trees remained.
- However, unlike lycopsids, Pennsylvanian sphenopsids were not coal-swamp specialists.
- Experiments suggest that arborescent lycopsid propagules had a rather limited dispersal range.
Origin
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek lukos 'wolf' + opsis 'appearance'.