Figwise

Phylogenetic Tree Generator

Paste a Newick string or type a list of species. The phylogenetic tree generator renders a rectangular phylogram you can export as SVG or PNG — ready for journals, presentations, and coursework.

Paste a Newick string or enter species names to preview your phylogenetic tree
01FEATURES

Two ways into the phylogenetic tree generator

Newick format input field in the phylogenetic tree generator with parsed preview
NEWICK

Paste Standard Newick Notation Into the Phylogenetic Tree Generator

The phylogenetic tree generator parses standard Newick format — with or without branch lengths, internal node names, and quoted labels. Paste the output from MEGA, RAxML, IQ-TREE, or any phylogenetics pipeline and see the tree rendered instantly. No file upload, no format conversion: one text box, one result.

Species list input mode generating a balanced phylogenetic tree
SPECIES LIST

Build a Phylogenetic Tree From a Simple Species List

Not every tree starts from a multiple sequence alignment. Switch to species-list mode, type or paste one taxon per line, and the phylogenetic tree maker builds a balanced cladogram automatically. Useful for teaching materials, classification overviews, and quick visual drafts before running a formal analysis.

02EXAMPLES

Phylogenetic Tree Generator Examples Across Biological Domains

Four trees produced by the same phylogenetic tree generator, each representing a different scale of life — from primate species to bacterial strains.

Primate Species Cladogram

Ten primate species arranged in a rectangular phylogram with proportional branch lengths reflecting molecular divergence estimates. Great apes cluster as expected, with New World monkeys as the outgroup.

Viral Variant Phylogeny

A compact phylogenetic tree of respiratory virus variants built from a Newick string exported by Nextstrain. Short branch lengths reflect the rapid mutation rate typical of RNA viruses.

Angiosperm Family Classification

Major flowering-plant families organized into a cladogram using the species-list input mode. No branch lengths — purely topological, suitable for a botany lecture handout.

Bacterial 16S rRNA Phylogenetic Tree

A phylogenetic tree of environmental bacterial isolates built from 16S rRNA gene sequences. Branch lengths correspond to nucleotide substitutions per site, with a scale bar for reference.

03WHAT IS IT

What Is a Phylogenetic Tree?

A phylogenetic tree is a branching diagram that depicts the evolutionary relationships among biological entities — species, genes, or populations. Each fork represents a common ancestor, and the pattern of branching reflects hypotheses about how lineages diverged over time. Phylogenetic trees are central to comparative biology, epidemiology, and conservation planning.

Trees are typically inferred from molecular data (DNA, RNA, or protein sequences) using methods such as maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, or neighbor-joining. The result is usually stored in Newick format — a nested-parenthesis text notation that encodes topology and, optionally, branch lengths proportional to evolutionary distance.

A phylogenetic tree generator takes that Newick string and converts it into a visual diagram suitable for publication or teaching. This tool renders rectangular phylograms — the most common layout in peer-reviewed literature — with optional branch-length annotations and a scale bar.

Hand-drawn sketch of a phylogenetic tree showing branching evolutionary relationships
04COMPARE

Phylogenetic Tree vs. Cladogram

Both show evolutionary relationships, but a phylogenetic tree and a cladogram differ in what the branch lengths represent — and when to use each one.

Phylogenetic Tree (Phylogram)

Branch lengths proportional to evolutionary distance

  • Branch lengths encode substitutions per site or divergence time
  • Includes a scale bar for quantitative comparison
  • Standard output of ML, Bayesian, and distance-based methods
  • Preferred in molecular phylogenetics and genomics papers
  • Requires sequence data and an alignment

Cladogram

Branch lengths uniform — topology only

  • All branches drawn the same length regardless of distance
  • Focuses purely on the order of branching events
  • Often used in morphology-based or parsimony analyses
  • Common in teaching materials and textbook illustrations
  • Can be built from a species list without molecular data
05HOW IT WORKS

How to Create a Phylogenetic Tree With This Generator

Four steps from raw data to a finished figure — no software installation required.

  1. 01

    Paste your Newick tree or enter species names

    Copy the Newick string from your phylogenetics software (MEGA, RAxML, IQ-TREE, MrBayes) and paste it into the text box. If you just need a quick cladogram, switch to species-list mode and type one taxon per line.

  2. 02

    Adjust display settings

    Toggle branch-length labels on or off, and set the font size for leaf names. The preview updates in real time so you can experiment without re-exporting.

  3. 03

    Preview the phylogenetic tree

    The rectangular phylogram appears to the right of the input panel. Scroll if the tree has many taxa. What you see is exactly what the export will contain — no surprises.

  4. 04

    Export as SVG or PNG

    Click Download SVG for a vector file you can edit in Illustrator or Inkscape. Click Download PNG for a 2× resolution raster ready for slides, posters, or supplementary materials.

06FAQ

Phylogenetic Tree Generator — Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about phylogenetic trees and how to generate them with this tool.

07RELATED TOOLS

Your Phylogenetic Tree, Ready in Seconds

Paste a Newick string or type a species list, adjust the display, and download a publication-ready phylogenetic tree — no installation, no sign-up.

Generate a Phylogenetic Tree