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Gnetophyta

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Gnetophyta is a small division of seed plants comprising three very different surviving genera, Gnetum, Ephedra, and Welwitschia, that share unusual reproductive features once thought to link them to flowering plants, though the proposed relationship remains debated among botanists. The three genera differ dramatically in appearance, ranging from broad leaved tropical vines and trees in Gnetum to jointed, nearly leafless desert shrubs in Ephedra to the two enormous strap like leaves of Welwitschia that grow continuously throughout a lifespan lasting centuries.

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