From algae to vascular plants: The multistep evolutionary trajectory of the ALDH superfamily towards functional promiscuity and the emergence of structural characteristics

•The origin of ALDHs goes back to the kingdom chromista.•Plant terrestrialization and vascularization coincide with the expansion of ALDHs.•ALDH sequences divergence led to neofunctionalization and functional promiscuity.•ALDHs act at the crossroads of the basal and the stress-related metabolism.•Catalytic properties of stress responsive ALDHs shifted throughout plant evolution.