POLYPHYLETIC

[poly.phy.let.ic] adj [ISV, fr. Gk polyphylos of many tribes, fr. poly- + phyle tribe--more at phyl-] (1875): of, relating to, or derived from different ancestral stocks; specif: relating to or being a taxonomic group that includes members (as genera or species) from different ancestral lineages -- poly.phy.let.i.cal.ly adv