Pronunciation: PA-li-to-mi
Etymology: Polytomy is derived from two Greek roots that mean many (polloi, πολλοί) and cut (tomi, τομή), which literally means many cuts. The reference is to multiple branches from a node.
A polytomy occurs when more than two branches emerge from a node.
In the following cladograms, species 1-3 emerge in nested dichotomies in Ha and from a polytomy in Ho.
© 2001 E.L. Braun and R.T. Kimball
| By Jack R. Holt. Last revised: 01/02/2009 |
