Pinopsida Burnett 1835
Gymnospermous plants with megasporophylls consisting of bract/scale complexes in which the fertile scales - from compound radially symmetrical to simple bilateral symmetrical - occur free to almost fully fused in the axils of sterile bracts. Male: cones compact, unisexual, helical, smaller and morphologically more conservative than ovulate cones, with simple microsporophyll units comprising scale and 2 to several microsporangia; pollen unisulcate, dissacate to nonsaccate. Foliage: helical, scale-like to linear, with simple midvein to several parallel and forking veins.