Barinophyton was a genus of early land plant with branching axes. It is placed in a group of earlyvascular plants (tracheophytes), thebarinophytes, a group that has been given various ranks and scientific names.[4] Known fossils are ofDevonian toCarboniferous age (420 to 299 million years ago).[1]
Kenrick and Crane in 1997 placed two species ofBarinophyton along with the genusProtobarinophyton in the Barinophytaceae in theirSawdoniales, well nested within thezosterophylls.[5] A summary cladogram produced by Crane et al. in 2004, showsBarinophyton in the core of aparaphyleticstem group of broadly definedzosterophylls, basal to thelycopsids (living and extinct clubmosses and relatives).[6]
Thephylogenetic position of the barinophytes remains disputed. Taylor et al. in 2009 considered the barinophytes to be possible lycopsids rather than zosterophylls.[1] Hao and Xue in 2013 suggested that they were not lycopsids, instead falling between this group and theeuphyllophytes.[7]
^abcTaylor, T.N.; Taylor, E.L. & Krings, M. (2009).Paleobotany, The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants (2nd ed.). Amsterdam; Boston: Academic Press. pp. 325–326.ISBN978-0-12-373972-8.
^White, D. (1905). "Paleontology". In Smith, G.O. & White, D. (eds.).The Geology of the Perry Basin of South-eastern Maine(PDF). Professional Paper 35. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. pp. 35–84. Retrieved2019-10-28.
^Brauer, D.F. (1980). "Barinophyton citrulliforme (Barinophytales Incertae Sedis, Barinophytaceae) from the Upper Devonian of Pennsylvania".American Journal of Botany.67 (8):1186–1206.doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1980.tb07752.x. Cited inBrauer (1981).
^Brauer, David F. (1981). "Heterosporous, barinophytacean plants from the upper Devonian of North America and a discussion of the possible affinities of the Barinophytaceae".Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology.33 (2–4):347–362.doi:10.1016/0034-6667(81)90092-0.
^Kenrick, Paul & Crane, Peter R. (1997).The Origin and Early Diversification of Land Plants: A Cladistic Study. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 172.ISBN978-1-56098-730-7.
^Crane, P.R.; Herendeen, P. & Friis, E.M. (2004). "Fossils and plant phylogeny".American Journal of Botany.91 (10):1683–99.doi:10.3732/ajb.91.10.1683.PMID21652317.
