Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A category of biological classification based on morphology rather than phylogeny. Used especially of fossil plants and deuteromycetes.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun taxonomy A collection of organisms that is given formal recognition at the rank of genus with a taxonomic name, but which is known to be an artificial group rather than a natural one.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (biology) an artificial taxonomic category for organisms of which the true relationships are obscure
  • noun an artificial taxonomic category established on the basis of morphological resemblance for organisms of obscure true relationships especially fossil forms

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  • (n.) an artificial taxonomic category established for organisms (i.e. the fungi imperfecti), or, especially, disassociated fossil plant remains (leaves, stems, seeds, fruits, rhizomes) for which true taxonomic affinities are obscure or unknown.

    September 16, 2009