Term:
Polyphyletic
Polyphyletic
Definition:
The inclusion of more than one evolutionary line in a taxonomic group.
The inclusion of more than one evolutionary line in a taxonomic group.
Glossary Details:
Title: The polyphyletic Lecythis chartacea clade. Figure by Y.-Y. Huang.
Description: In this cladogram, the Lecythis chartacea clade as circumscribed by Mori and Prance (1990) is polyphyletic because it is comprised of species of Lecythis and Eschweilera congestiflora and E. simiorum. If the latter two species were transferred to Lecythis then the clade would be monophyletic.