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The Conifers

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The Conifers: Genomes, Variation and Evolution

Abstract

The conifers are a diverse and ancient group of seed plants of monophyletic origin that arose more than 300 million years ago (Rothwell and Scheckler 1988). They are uniformly distinguished by their naked or exposed ovules during pollination, a trait they share with the cycads, the monotypic genus Ginkgo, and the gnetophytes. Collectively, these four taxa comprise the gymnosperms, which, along with the flowering plants (angiosperms), constitute the seed-bearing plants (Fig. 1.1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    David B. Neale

  2. Consultant, Centralia, WA, USA

    Nicholas C. Wheeler

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Neale, D.B., Wheeler, N.C. (2019). The Conifers. In: The Conifers: Genomes, Variation and Evolution. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46807-5_1

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