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Autapomorphy

Synonyms: Autapomorphic Trait

In cladistics autapomorphy describes traits that are unique to one species and therefore useless in cladistic analysis. The angiosperm pterospora provides an illustrative example. It is an parasitic plant that tacks chlorophyll. Because of that characteristic, it resembles fungi but all the other traits rather make it relative to flowering plants.

 
   

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