Pinales
The order Pinales in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida, comprises all the extant conifers. This order used to be known as the Coniferales. The distinguishing characteristic is the reproductive structure known as a cone produced by all Pinales. All of the extant conifers, such as cedar, celery-pine, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, and yew, are included here. Some fossil conifers, however, belong to other distinct orders within the division Pinophyta.Taxonomy
taxonomy has been considered controversial, and lacks consensus. In 2018, the Gymnosperm Phylogeny Group was established, analogous to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, with the intention of reaching a consensus, as taxonomic classification transforms from being based solely on plant morphology to molecular phylogenetics. However, these approaches have not been uniform.Phylogeny
Gymnosperms are in a sister group relation to the Angiosperms within the Spermatophytes, and include the divisions;
Pinophyta include all conifers, extinct and extant, with Pinales representing all extant conifers.Subdivision
The order Pinales has been considered with six extant families;
The yews had been separated into a distinct order of their own, but genetic evidence indicates yews are monophyletic with other conifers and they are now included in the Pinales. Cephalotaxaceae had previously been recognized as a separate family, but is now included in Taxaceae.
Other classifications treat Pinales as a single family, Pinaceae.Books and encyclopaedias
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