Cycadophyta

9.9

A group of palm-like seed plants, mostly extinct but with some living species

noun
/ˌsaɪkəˈdɒfɪtə/

Specialized

: Cicadofitas

Fossils show that Cycadophyta were much more widespread during the Mesozoic era.

Examples

The Cycadophyta are often referred to as living fossils.
Many species within Cycadophyta have become extinct, with only the order Cycadales surviving today.
Botanists debate whether Cycadophyta constitutes a natural group or a collection of similar lineages.
Many Cycadophyta species can be found in tropical regions.
Fossils show that Cycadophyta were much more widespread during the Mesozoic era.
Many species within Cycadophyta have become extinct, with only the order Cycadales surviving today.
Many Cycadophyta species can be found in tropical regions.

Synonyms

Cycadopsida

vsCycadophyta

Specialized

9.9

A group of palmlike seed plants, including living cycads and extinct relatives

is a general group covering similar plants across related orders

Cycadophytina

vsCycadophyta

Specialized

9.9

A group of palm-like plants that make seeds, including living and fossil cycads

is the broader group term used for similar plants including extinct orders

Surface Forms

Cycadophyta singular

Cycadophyta plural

Morphology

Cycadophyta = cycad (opaque) = cycad + phyta

Although the word is built from a recognizable base and a scientific taxonomic suffix, the meaning of the full term is specialized and not readily recoverable for most learners.

Etymology

Cycadophyta combines cycad, a palm-like plant, and -phyta, meaning 'plants'. So, Cycadophyta literally means 'cycad plants' and tells us this group is made of palm-like, non-flowering plants.