Coniferopsida In some classifications, a subdivision of the gymnosperms, comprising 4 orders, the oldest of which, the Cordaitales, appeared in the Carboniferous. They became extinct at the end of the Permian, but their place was taken by 2 other coniferopsid orders: the Ginkgoales (ginkgos) and Coniferales (conifers). These are now usually ranked as divisions, the Ginkgophyta and Coniferophyta.

Coniferopsida In some classifications, a class of gymnosperms, comprising 4 orders: Cordaitales; Coniferales (conifers); Ginkgoales (ginkgos); and Taxales (yews). The Cordaitales appeared in the early Carboniferous and became extinct at the end of the Permian. The Coniferales appeared in the Upper Carboniferous, the Ginkgoales in the early Permian, and the Taxales in the Jurassic. These three are extant.