Magnoliophyta

Magnoliophyta, also known as flowering plants or angiosperms, is a division of seed plants that produce seeds enclosed within a fruit developed from the ovary after fertilization. They are the most diverse and widespread group of land plants, with roughly 300,000 described species ranging from small herbs to large trees. Members are characterized by the presence of flowers and fruits, specialized reproductive structures, and vessels in most angiosperm xylem.

Taxonomy and classification: In older systems such as Cronquist and Takhtajan, Magnoliophyta is treated as a division containing two major classes, Magnoliopsida (dicots) and Liliopsida (monocots). In contemporary classifications based on molecular data (for example APG, Angiosperm Phylogeny Group), flowering plants are treated as a clade within the broader plant kingdom, usually referred to as Angiosperms, and Magnoliophyta is not consistently used as a formal rank. Basal angiosperms such as Amborella, Nymphaeales, and Austrobaileyales are included within Angiosperms. The two largest extant lineages are the monocots and eudicots.

Evolution and ecology: Flowering plants originated in the early to mid-Cretaceous and rapidly diversified, in part due to interactions with pollinators. They occupy nearly all terrestrial habitats and are of major ecological and economic importance, providing food, fibers, medicines, and many ecological services.