 The initial suspicions of its describer, Dianne Edwards, were that it was a bryophyte, and comparisons have been made with several groups.A potential association with the moss "Takakia" is supported by features of the sporangia, such as the elongate shape, unusual twisting, and terminal position of the sporangia.As the sporangia of "Tortilicaulis" are branched, cladistic analysis suggests that the genus may instead belong to the Horneophytopsida, a class of the polysporangiophytes, which unlike bryophytes, have branched stems bearing sporangia.