Free Cladogram Generator — Show Ancestry

See it work

Cladogram examples.

Same tool, four requests. Every drawing below is a real render.

What you type

Create a phylogenetic tree of E. coli, Salmonella, Vibrio, Bacillus, Staph, Listeria, Myco tuberculosis, Myco leprae, Strepto and Lactobacillus, with highlighted Gamma-proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria clades, bootstrap support and a substitutions-per-site scale.

Then tryAdd an outgroup.Change the layout to rectangular.

Phylogenetic tree · Newick + NHX extensions · schematex-phylo

Rather start from a finished drawing? Browse 17 phylogenetic tree templates →

The drawing

What a cladogram is.

A cladogram is a branching diagram that groups organisms by shared derived characteristics. Each split represents a common ancestor, and the arrangement of the branches shows which groups share a more recent ancestor.

Branch length and the left-to-right order of tips do not carry meaning in a cladogram. Use it to explain classification and evolutionary relationships; use a phylogram when branch lengths represent genetic change.

Standard: Newick + NHX extensions
Engine: schematex-phylo
Editable: Double-click text, drag nodes
Export: SVG · PNG · PDF

Who uses it

Who uses cladograms.

Biology students

Classify organisms by shared traits and explain which groups form a clade in coursework.

Teachers

Make a clear visual for lessons on common ancestry, derived traits and nested groups.

Researchers

Present a compact hypothesis of relationships among taxa before adding distance or time information.

How it works

How to make a cladogram in three steps.

Describe it

One paragraph is enough to start.

“Create a phylogenetic tree of E. coli, Salmonella, Vibrio, Bacillus, Staph, Listeria, Myco tuberculosis, Myco leprae, Strepto and Lactobacillus, with highlighted Gamma-proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria clades, bootstrap support and a substitutions-per-site scale.”

See the drawing

Drawn by the right engine.

Say what changes

Every edit keeps a version.

Add an outgroup.

V2 · DRAWN FROM V1, NOTHING RETYPED

FAQ

Common questions

What is a cladogram?

A cladogram is a diagram that shows evolutionary relationships among organisms through shared common ancestors. The branching pattern groups taxa into clades, each of which includes an ancestor and all of its descendants.

What does a branch on a cladogram mean?

A branch represents a lineage, and a branching point represents a shared ancestor. The important information is which branches join together, not the physical length of the branch.

How is a cladogram different from a phylogenetic tree?

A cladogram shows only the order of branching based on shared derived traits. A phylogenetic tree can also show estimated genetic distance, evolutionary change or time through its branch lengths.

How do I make a cladogram?

List the taxa, choose an outgroup, and identify the derived traits that separate the remaining groups. Describe those relationships in plain language, then refine the labels or branches in the generated drawing.

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