Gumuia
Encyclopedia
Gumuia is a genus of extinct vascular plant
s of the Early Devonian (Pragian or Siegenian, around ). The genus was first described in 1989 based on fossil specimens from the Posongchong Formation, Wenshan district
, Yunnan, China.
of G. zyzzata consisted of leafless stems (axes) with an apparently sympodial organization. Fertile stems had a spike-like organization, with both lateral and terminal sporangia
(spore-forming organs); successive sporangia developed on alternate sides of short stems. The genus was tentatively placed in the "zosterophylls".
A cladogram published in 2004 by Crane et al. places Gumia in a paraphyletic stem group of broadly defined "zosterophylls", basal to the lycopsids
(living and extinct clubmosses and relatives).
Vascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
s of the Early Devonian (Pragian or Siegenian, around ). The genus was first described in 1989 based on fossil specimens from the Posongchong Formation, Wenshan district
Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province, China.-Subdivisions:-Ethnic groups:Wenshan is highly diverse...
, Yunnan, China.
Description and phylogeny
The sporophyteSporophyte
All land plants, and some algae, have life cycles in which a haploid gametophyte generation alternates with a diploid sporophyte, the generation of a plant or algae that has a double set of chromosomes. A multicellular sporophyte generation or phase is present in the life cycle of all land plants...
of G. zyzzata consisted of leafless stems (axes) with an apparently sympodial organization. Fertile stems had a spike-like organization, with both lateral and terminal sporangia
Sporangium
A sporangium is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle...
(spore-forming organs); successive sporangia developed on alternate sides of short stems. The genus was tentatively placed in the "zosterophylls".
A cladogram published in 2004 by Crane et al. places Gumia in a paraphyletic stem group of broadly defined "zosterophylls", basal to the lycopsids
Lycopodiophyta
The Division Lycopodiophyta is a tracheophyte subdivision of the Kingdom Plantae. It is the oldest extant vascular plant division at around 410 million years old, and includes some of the most "primitive" extant species...
(living and extinct clubmosses and relatives).
External links
- Cladogram from
