Gnetophyta

The plant division Gnetophyta or gnetophytes consists of three genera of woody plants grouped in the gymnosperms. The living Gnetophyta consists of around 70 species across the three genera Gnetum (family Gnetaceae), Welwitschia (family Welwitschiaceae), and Ephedra (family Ephedraceae).

The gnetophytes differ from other gymnosperms (i.e. conifers, cycads, and ginkgos) in having vessel elements (which transport water within the plant) as found in flowering plants. The gnetophytes evolutionary relationships remain unclear: in some classifications, all three genera are placed in a single order (Gnetales), while in other classifications they are distributed among three orders, each containing a single family and genus. Most morphological and molecular studies confirm that Gnetum and Welwitschia diverged from each other more recently than from Ephedra.

Read more about Gnetophyta:  Ecology and Morphology, Classification