A 1994 diagram indicating our understanding of cladistic relationships of the major lineages of green algae and land plants. (Modified from Mishler, B. D.et al. (1994) Phylogenetic relationships of the "green algae: and "bryophytes." Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 81: 451-483.)

Abbreviations as follows:
Chloro. = Chlorophytes
Pleur. = Pleurophytes;
Ulvo. = Ulvophytes
Charop. = Charophytes
Micromonad.= Micromonadophytes;
Liv. = Liverworts;
Horn. = Hornworts;
Moss = Mosses;
Trach. = Tracheophytes.

---

Below, a 2006 diagram indicting our understanding of the relationship of the major lineages of green algae and land plants based upon phylogenomic evidence.

 

Qiu, Y.-L., L. Li, B. Wang, Z. Chen, V. Knoop, M. Groth-Malonek, O. Dombrovska, J. Lee, L. Kent, J. Rest, G. F. Estabrook, T. A. Hendry, D. W. Taylor, C. M. Testa, M. Ambros, B. Crandall-Stotler, R. J. Duff, M. Stech, W. Frey, D. Quandt, and C. C. Davis. 2006. The deepest divergences in land plants inferred from phylogenomic evidence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 103: 15511-15516

Bryophyte Classification

The roughly 18,000 species of bryophytes are generally classified into three coordinate phyla, the Marchantiophyta (liverworts), Bryophyta (mosses) and Anthocerotophyta (hornworts). Phylogenetic analyses such as those of Mishler et al. (1994) and Qiu et al. (2006) suggest that these phyla do not form a monphyletic group, but rather represent a grade in embryophyte evolution. In most recent analyses liverworts are resolved as the first divergence of land plants (embryophytes).

BRYOPHYTE PHYLA (DIVISIONS)

Marchantiophyta (Liverworts)

Liverwort Classification at the Rank of Genus and Above

Alphabetical list of accepted Liverwort genera

Bryophyta (Mosses)

Anthocerotophyta (Hornworts)