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33-448: A distinct community of vascular plants evolved millions of years ago, and are now found on several separate areas. Millions of years ago, the warmer and wetter areas supported a tropical adapted flora, including forests of podocarps and southern beech . They were a type of flora characteristic of parts of Gondwana but were present in equivalent ecological areas. Over millions of years, these type of vegetation present, covered much of

66-652: A New Zealand kauri tree ( Agathis australis ) named Tāne Mahuta ("The Lord of the Forest") has been measured at 45.2 m (148 ft) tall with a diameter at breast height of 491 cm (16.11 ft). Its total wood volume is calculated to be 516.7 m (18,250 cu ft), making it the third-largest conifer after Sequoia and Sequoiadendron (both from the Cupressaceae subfamily Sequoioideae ). The trunks are columnar and have relatively large piths with resinous cortices . The branching

99-941: Is a family of conifers with three living genera , Araucaria in the Araucarioid clade and Agathis , and Wollemia in the Agathioid clade. While the family's native distribution is now largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, except for a few species of Agathis in Malesia , it was formerly widespread in the Northern Hemisphere during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Members of Araucariaceae are typically extremely tall evergreen trees, reaching heights of 60 m (200 ft) or more. They can also grow very large stem diameters;

132-566: Is an antiquated remnant of the obsolete scala naturae , and the term is generally considered to be unscientific. Botanists define vascular plants by three primary characteristics: Cavalier-Smith (1998) treated the Tracheophyta as a phylum or botanical division encompassing two of these characteristics defined by the Latin phrase "facies diploida xylem et phloem instructa" (diploid phase with xylem and phloem). One possible mechanism for

165-456: Is classified under the order Pinales , class Pinopsida of the division Pinophyta . The division includes all living conifers. Recently however, some authorities treat Araucariaceae as a separate order, Araucariales . Araucariaceae contains three extant genera and about 41 species. Below is the phylogeny of the Pinophyta based on cladistic analysis of molecular data. It shows

198-600: Is conducive. The geographical isolation and special edaphic conditions helped to preserve it too. Many members of the late Cretaceous–early Tertiary Gondwanan flora survived in islands and Coastal area's equable climate but were eliminated in mainland due to increasingly dry conditions. When the large landmasses became drier and with a harsher climate, this type of forest was reduced to those boundaries areas. Tasmania , Chile, New Zealand and New Caledonia share related species extinct in Australia mainland. The same case occurs in

231-454: Is known as " Oltustone ", the name deriving from the town of Oltu , where it is most commonly excavated. Despite the fact that this semiprecious gemstone is classified as “stone”, wood anatomy reveals it was fossilized pieces of trunks of Araucariacea. Oltustone, also called ‘Black Amber’ is unique to Turkey. It is dull and black, but when polished, acquires an attractive black sheen. Fossils widely believed to belong to Araucariaceae include

264-855: Is supported by several molecular studies. Other researchers state that taking fossils into account leads to different conclusions, for example that the ferns (Pteridophyta) are not monophyletic. Hao and Xue presented an alternative phylogeny in 2013 for pre- euphyllophyte plants. † Horneophytaceae [REDACTED] † Cooksoniaceae † Aglaophyton † Rhyniopsida [REDACTED] † Catenalis † Aberlemnia † Hsuaceae † Renaliaceae [REDACTED] † Adoketophyton †? Barinophytopsida † Zosterophyllopsida † Hicklingia † Gumuia † Nothia Lycopodiopsida [REDACTED] † Zosterophyllum deciduum † Yunia † Eophyllophyton † Trimerophytopsida † Ibyka † Pauthecophyton † Cladoxylopsida Polypodiopsida [REDACTED] Araucariaceae Araucariaceae

297-501: Is usually horizontal and tiered, arising regularly in whorls of three to seven branches or alternating in widely separated pairs. The leaves can be small, needle-like, and curved, or they can be large, broadly ovate, and flattened. They are spirally arranged, persistent, and usually have parallel venation . Like other conifers, they produce cones. Each tree can have both male and female cones ( monoecious ) or they can have only male or female cones ( dioecious ). Male cones are among

330-672: The Australian Kingdom . Vascular plant Vascular plants (from Latin vasculum  'duct'), also called tracheophytes ( UK : / ˈ t r æ k iː ə ˌ f aɪ t s / , US : / ˈ t r eɪ k iː ə ˌ f aɪ t s / ) or collectively tracheophyta ( / ˌ t r eɪ k iː ˈ ɒ f ɪ t ə / ; from Ancient Greek τραχεῖα ἀρτηρία ( trakheîa artēría )  'windpipe' and φυτά ( phutá )  'plants'), are plants that have lignified tissues (the xylem ) for conducting water and minerals throughout

363-592: The Carboniferous and Permian , New Zealand and New Caledonia were on the periphery of Gondwana, which included Africa, South America, Antarctica, India, New Zealand and Australia. Paleomagnetic data locate New Caledonia originally near the South Pole . In the Triassic and early Jurassic , Gondwana moved northward, warming the eastern margin. New Caledonia separated from Australia and New Zealand during

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396-864: The Middle Jurassic , such as Araucaria mirabilis and Araucaria sphaerocarpa from the Middle Jurassic of Argentina and England respectively. The oldest records of the Wollemia - Agathis lineage from the Cretaceous , including Emwadea microcarpa from the Albian aged Winton Formation of Australia and Wairarapaia mildenhallii from the Albian- Cenomanian of New Zealand. The oldest fossils currently confidently assignable to Agathis are those of Agathis immortalis from

429-1578: The Pleistocene glaciations show that species of Laurus were formerly distributed more widely around the Mediterranean and North Africa , isolated gave rise to Laurus azorica in Azores Islands, Laurus nobilis in mainland and Laurus novocanariensis in Canary Islands. The paleotropical flora is characterized by about 40 endemic plant families , the most famous being Nepenthaceae , Musaceae , Pandanaceae and Flagellariaceae , but including also Matoniaceae , Dipteridaceae , Stangeriaceae , Welwitschiaceae , Degeneriaceae , Rafflesiaceae , Didiereaceae , Didymelaceae , Ancistrocladaceae , Dioncophyllaceae , Scytopetalaceae ( Scytopetalum ), Medusagynaceae , Scyphostegiaceae ( Scyphostegia ), Sarcolaenaceae , Sphaerosepalaceae , Huaceae , Pandaceae , Crypteroniaceae , Duabangaceae , Strephonemataceae ( Strephonema ), Psiloxylaceae , Dirachmaceae , Phellinaceae , Lophopyxidaceae , Salvadoraceae , Medusandraceae , Mastixiaceae ( Mastixia ), Hoplestigmataceae ( Hoplestigma ) and Lowiaceae . 10 endemic families (incl. Dioncophyllaceae , Pentadiplandraceae , Scytopetalaceae , Medusandraceae , Dirachmaceae , Kirkiaceae ), many endemic genera. 9 endemic families, more than 450 endemic genera, about 80% endemic species. It ceased to be influenced by

462-606: The Salamanca Formation of Patagonia, which dates to the Paleocene , approximately 64.67–63.49 million years ago. Agathis -like leaves are also known from the slightly older Lefipán Formation of the same region, which date to the very end of the Cretaceous. Araucariaceae fossils are also known from the latest Oligocene or earliest Miocene of the southwesternmost tip of Africa. Claimed records of Agathis from

495-477: The form genera Araucarites (various), Agathoxylon and Araucarioxylon (wood), Brachyphyllum (leaves), Araucariacites and Dilwynites (pollen), and Protodammara (cones). The oldest definitive records of Araucariaceae are from the Early Jurassic , though there are potential earlier Late Triassic records. Early representatives of Araucaria are widespread across both hemispheres by

528-408: The tropics of Earth . Many species are today relicts of a type of vegetation disappeared, which originally covered much of the mainland of Africa, Madagascar, India, South America, Antarctica, Australia , North America, Europe, and other lands when their climate were more humid and warm. Although warm cloud forests disappeared during the glaciations, they re-colonized large areas every time

561-508: The "true" tracheophytes, the eutracheophytes. † Aglaophyton † Horneophytopsida † Rhyniophyta Lycopodiophyta † Zosterophyllophyta † Cladoxylopsida Equisetopsida (horsetails) Marattiopsida Psilotopsida (whisk ferns and adders'-tongues) Pteridopsida (true ferns) † Progymnospermophyta Cycadophyta (cycads) Ginkgophyta (ginkgo) Gnetophyta Pinophyta (conifers) Magnoliophyta (flowering plants) † Pteridospermatophyta (seed ferns) This phylogeny

594-669: The African flora in the Cretaceous , but underwent heavy influence of the Indian region's flora. 11 endemic families (incl. Degeneriaceae , Barclayaceae , Mastixiaceae ) and many endemic genera No endemic families, many endemic genera. The flora is mostly derivative from that of the Indo-Malesian subkingdom. New Caledonia lies on the southernmost edge of the tropical zone, near the Tropic of Capricorn . This flora originated on

627-510: The Atlantic Macaronesia islands and Pacific Taiwan , Hainan , Jeju , Shikoku , Kyūshū , and Ryūkyū Islands . Although some remnants of archaic rich flora still persisted in their coastal mountains and shelter sites, their biodiversity were reduced. The location of Islands in the oceans moderated these climatic fluctuations, and maintained the relatively humid and mild climate which has allowed these communities to persist to

660-678: The Southern Hemisphere. By far the greatest diversity is in New Caledonia (18 species), with others in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Chile, southern Brazil, and Malesia. In Malesia, Agathis extends a short distance into the Northern Hemisphere, reaching 18°N in the Philippines. Several species are very popular ornamental trees in gardens in subtropical regions, and some are also very important timber trees, producing wood of high quality. Several have edible seeds similar to pine nuts, and others produce valuable resin and amber . In

693-399: The ability to grow independent roots, woody structure for support, and more branching. A proposed phylogeny of the vascular plants after Kenrick and Crane 1997 is as follows, with modification to the gymnosperms from Christenhusz et al. (2011a), Pteridophyta from Smith et al. and lycophytes and ferns by Christenhusz et al. (2011b) The cladogram distinguishes the rhyniophytes from

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726-403: The breakup of the super-continent, separating from Australia at the end of the Cretaceous (66 mya ) and probably completing its separation from New Zealand in the mid- Miocene . The ecological requirements of many of the species, are those of the laurel forest and like most of their counterparts laurifolia in the world, they are vigorous species with a great ability to populate the habitat that

759-683: The forests where they occur, they are usually dominant trees, often the largest species in the forest; the largest is Araucaria hunsteinii , reported to 89 m tall in New Guinea, with several other species reaching 50–65 m tall. A. heterophylla , the Norfolk Island pine, is a well-known landscaping and house plant from this taxon. Skillful artisans in the Erzurum Province, Turkey, have used fossilized wood of Araucariaceae for centuries to manufacture jewelry and decorative items. It

792-786: The largest among all conifer cones, on average. They are cylindrical and drooping, somewhat resembling catkins . They are borne singly on the tips of branches or the axils of leaves. They contain numerous sporophylls arranged in whorls or spirals. Each has four to 20 elongated pollen sacs attached to the lower surface at one end. The pollen grains are round and do not possess wings or air sacs. Female cones are also very large. They are spherical to ovoid in shape and borne erect on thick, short shoots at branch tips. The numerous bracts and scales are either fused to each other or separate for half of their lengths. The scales almost always bear only one seed on its upper surface, in contrast to two in true pines (family Pinaceae ). They are very large, among

825-459: The largest seeds among conifers. They are dispersed by wind, usually using wing-like structures. On maturity, the female cones detach and fall to the ground. Due to their size, they can cause serious injuries if they hit a person. The cones of the bunya bunya, Araucaria bidwillii , for example, weigh up to 10 kg (22 lb), about the size and weight of a large pineapple. They can drop from heights of 23 m (75 ft). Araucariaceae

858-473: The plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified tissue (the phloem ) to conduct products of photosynthesis . The group includes most land plants ( c.  300,000 accepted known species) other than mosses . Vascular plants include the clubmosses , horsetails , ferns , gymnosperms (including conifers ), and angiosperms ( flowering plants ). They are contrasted with nonvascular plants such as mosses and green algae . Scientific names for

891-497: The position of Araucariaceae within the division. Pinaceae Araucariaceae Podocarpaceae Sciadopityaceae Cupressaceae Cephalotaxaceae Taxaceae Relationships between living members of Araucariaceae. Araucaria Wollemia Agathis Molecular evidence supports Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae having diverged from each other during the late Permian . Today, 41 species are known, in three genera: Agathis , Araucaria and Wollemia , distributed largely in

924-463: The present day. Plants have limited seed dispersal mobility away from the parent plant and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant individually or collectively, as well as dispersed in both space and time. Tertiary vegetal species isolated on islands have led to vicariant species; genera and families extinct in

957-421: The presumed evolution from emphasis on haploid generation to emphasis on diploid generation is the greater efficiency in spore dispersal with more complex diploid structures. Elaboration of the spore stalk enabled the production of more spores and the development of the ability to release them higher and to broadcast them further. Such developments may include more photosynthetic area for the spore-bearing structure,

990-641: The rest of the world have been preserved as island endemics. For example, genera, Archeria in Ericaceae , or Wollemia in the family Araucariaceae , was known only from fossil remains before the discovery of the living species in 1994 in a temperate rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales , in a remote series of narrow, steep-sided sandstone gorges near Lithgow . Fossils dating from before

1023-478: The supercontinent Gondwana, and persist in current day New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and South America. This flora is fossil in Antarctica. The biodiversity of New Caledonia include several endemic families (incl. Amborellaceae , Strasburgeriaceae ) and more than 130 endemic genera (incl. Exospermum and Zygogynum ). The flora is partially shared with the Indo-Malesian subkingdom and

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1056-463: The vascular plants group include Tracheophyta, Tracheobionta and Equisetopsida sensu lato . Some early land plants (the rhyniophytes ) had less developed vascular tissue; the term eutracheophyte has been used for all other vascular plants, including all living ones. Historically, vascular plants were known as " higher plants ", as it was believed that they were further evolved than other plants due to being more complex organisms. However, this

1089-508: The weather was favorable again. Most of the cloud forests are believed to have retreated and advanced during successive geological eras, and their species adapted to warm and wet gradually retreated and advanced, replaced by more cold -tolerant or drought -tolerant sclerophyll plant communities. Many of the existing species became extinct because they could not cross the barriers posed by new oceans, mountains and deserts, but others found refuge as species relict in coastal areas and Islands. In

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