(or Amentaceae) is a historically significant but now largely obsolete botanical group of woody plants characterized by bearing catkins (aments). While once considered a natural evolutionary group, modern molecular phylogenetics has revealed it to be an artificial collection of unrelated families that independently evolved similar wind-pollination traits. Historical Classification and "Canonical" Families
Members were grouped together based on a specific suite of reproductive features suited for wind pollination (): amentiferae
: Flowers are typically unisexual and highly simplified, often lacking petals or having insignificant sepals. (or Amentaceae) is a historically significant but now
: The group is "artificial" because catkin-bearing evolved convergently. For instance, Salicaceae is now known to be unrelated to the "core" amentiferous plants and is placed in the order Malpighiales. : The group is "artificial" because catkin-bearing evolved
: Male flowers (and sometimes female) are borne in catkins —tassel-like, often pendulous spikes of reduced flowers.