Question
Each plant or group of plants has some phylogenetic significance in relation to evolution : Cycas, one of the few living members of gymnosperms is called as the ‘relic of past’. Can you establish a phylogenetic relationship of Cycas with any other group of plants that
justifies the above statement?
Solution
Cycas is considered as a living fossil as it is the only living species of the family Cycadaceae. It is often known as the Relic of the past. It shares some common features with the Pteridophytes like:
i. The seeds are shed while the embryo is still maturing.
ii. The megasporophyll appears like a leaf.
iii. In spite of the presence of the pollen tubes the male gametes are flagellated. Just as in the pteridophytes.
iv. Leaf base is persistent.
