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Magnoliophyta
Magnolia Division |
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The flowering plants (angiosperms), also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Together with gymnosperms, they are the only extant groups of seed-producing plants, but they can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies (derived characteristics). These characteristics include flowers, endosperm within the seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds.
diverged from gymnosperms around 245–202 million years ago, and the first flowering plants known to exist are from 140 million years ago.
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