Phylograph is a multifunctional tree editor particularly indicated for large trees. The application reads trees up to 1000-1200 leaves and constructs and edits graph drawings in different layouts. Phylograph roots the tree using as outgroup a single leave or a whole branch, simply via the computer mouse. The tool incorporates a wide set of functions to expand, compress, invert, and/or rotate a tree. Phylograph allows the cutting of branches and the incorporation of decorations such as tags, brackets, boxes, and arrows. The tool also allows the user to save the tree drawing as a re-editable project and offers the choice of various exportable image formats, including a HTML format suited to databases.

There are essentially two concepts for achieving drawings of phylogenetic trees, rooted and unrooted or radial. Phylograph uses three algorithms to layout the graph: A rooted tree is easy to layout by recursion and this application offers 4 variations on rooted trees as rectangular cladograms, with or without distances, and slanted cladograms. Radial trees are drawn using a linear-time algorithm adapted with several modifications from Bachmaier et al. 2005. This algorithm resolves a radial layout that Phylograph re-visits to optimize the amount of space needed by both small and big subtrees, using the "equal distant wedges" algorithm.