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Botanical Orchid Glossary

Glossary Term: Plesiomorphic

Present in the ancestor of a taxon. A plesiomorphic character state. Opposed to apomorphic.

Synonyms:

  • Primitive
  • Ancestral

Images:

Plesiomorphic: Cladogram of two genera (blue and red); the black bullet 0 represent a plesiomorphic character state for these genera
Plesiomorphic

Cladogram of two genera (blue and red); the black bullet 0 represent a plesiomorphic character state for these genera