Ceratophyllaceae was considered a relative of
Nymphaeaceae and included in
Nymphaeales in the
Cronquist system, but research has shown that it is not closely related to Nymphaeaceae or any other extant plant family. Some early molecular phylogenies suggested it was the
sister group to all other angiosperms, but more recent research suggests that it is the sister group to the
eudicots. The
APG III system placed the family in its own order, the Ceratophyllales. The
APG IV system accepts the phylogeny shown below:
Genera The family contains one living genus, and several extinct genera described from the fossil record, including one of the earliest fruit bearing (in the form of an achene) plants, the Dakota formation freshwater genus
Donlesia from Early Cretaceous. •
Ceratophyllum • †
Ceratostratiotes • †
Donlesia ==References==