Psilotophyta is a
division of the
kingdom Plantae. It is also called
Psilophyta. It contains only two genera:
Psilotum is a small shrubby plant of the dry tropics, and
Tmesipteris is an epiphyte of
Australia,
New Zealand, and
New Caledonia. For many years, there has been controversy about the relationships of the Psilotophyta, with some claiming that they are ferns (
Pterophyta), and others maintaining that they are descendants of the first vascular plants. Recent evidence from
DNA suggests an affinity to the ferns.
