Streptophyta


Streptophyta, informally the streptophytes, is a clade of plants. The composition of the clade varies considerably between authors, but the definition employed here includes land plants and all green algae except the Chlorophyta and the more basal Prasinodermophyta.

Classifications

The composition of Streptophyta and similar groups varies in each classification. Some authors include only the Charales and Embryophyta ; others include more groups ; some authors use this broader definition, but exclude the Embryophyta.
The clade Streptophyta includes both unicellular and multicellular organisms. Streptophyta contains the freshwater charophyte green algae and all land plants that reproduce sexually by conjugation. Mesostigma viride, a unicellular green flagellate alga may be a basal Streptophyte.
These earlier classifications have not taken into account that the Coleochaetophyceae and the Zygnemophyceae appear to have emerged in the Charophyceae + Embryophyta clade, resulting in the synonymy of the Phragmoplastophyta and Streptophytina/Streptophyta sensu stricto nomenclature.

Jeffrey, 1967

Source:
  • Archaeplastida Adl et al. 2005
  • *Chloroplastida Adl et al. 2005
  • ** Chlorophyta Pascher 1914, emend. Lewis & McCourt 2004
  • ** Charophyta Migula 1897, emend. Karol et al. 2009
  • *** Chlorokybus Geitler 1942
  • *** Mesostigma Lauterborn 1894
  • *** Klebsormidiophyceae van den Hoek et al. 1995
  • *** Phragmoplastophyta Lecointre & Guyander 2006
  • **** Zygnematophyceae van den Hoek et al. 1995, emend. Hall et al. 2009
  • **** Coleochaetophyceae Jeffrey 1982
  • **** Streptophyta Jeffrey 1967
  • ***** Charophyceae Smith 1938, emend. Karol et al. 2009
  • ***** Embryophyta Engler 1886, emend. Lewis & McCourt 2004

    Adl ''et al''. 2019

  • Archaeplastida Adl et al. 2005
  • *Chloroplastida Adl et al. 2005
  • ** Phylum Streptophyta [Charophyta]
  • *** Chlorokybus atmophyticus
  • *** Mesostigma viridae
  • ***Family Klebsomidiophyceae
  • *** Class Phragmoplastophyta
  • **** Family Zygnemataceae
  • **** Order Coleochaetophyceae
  • **** Family Characeae
  • **** Kingdom Embryophyta

    Phylogeny

Below is a reconstruction of Streptophyta relationships, based on genomic data.
Streptofilum, described in 2018, appears to bring in a new branching.