Tag: cryptogams

Pteridophytes are vascular plants and have leaves (known as fronds), roots and sometimes true stems, and tree ferns have full trunks. For example, ferns, horsetails and clubmosses. Fronds in the largest species of ferns can reach some six meters in length. Many ferns from tropical rain forests are epiphytes, which means they only grow on other plant species. Their water comes from the damp air or from rainfall running down branches and tree trunks. There are also some purely aquatic ferns such as water fern or water velvet (Salvinia molesta) and mosquito ferns (Azolla species). Thallophytes and bryophytes are not differentiated into roots, stems and leaves. Hydrophytes are differentiated into roots, stems and leaves and bear flowers and seeds. 

The correct answer is 'Pteropsida'

Stele can be defined as the central core of the stem and root of a vascular plant, consisting of the vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) and associated supporting tissue. 

Sporocarp is a reproductive structure of some aquatic ferns like Marsilea. Sporocarps are functionally and developmentally modified leafwhich bears several sori. Each sori consists of sporangia of two types -mega sporangia producing simple large female megaspore and microsporangia producing many small male microspore.

A fern is a member of a group of approximately 12,000 species of vascular plants which reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular (i.e., having water-conducting vessels). They have stems and leaves, like other vascular plants. Most ferns have fiddleheads that expand into fronds, which are each delicately divided. Leptosporangiate ferns (sometimes called as true ferns) are by far the largest group, but ferns as defined here (ferns sensu lato) include horsetails, whisk ferns, marattioid ferns, and ophioglossoid ferns. This group may be referred to as monilophytes. The term pteridophyte traditionally refers to ferns plus a few other seedless vascular plants.

The heart-shaped prothallus is the characteristic feature of ferns and mainly belong to Polypodiaceae. They show polarity and dorsoventrally. The prothallus contains both the antheridia and archegonia which are embedded in the prothallus. Since it forms the male and female gametes the prothallus -is considered as the gametophyte.

Pteridophytes are cryptogamae, they are Non-flowering plants whereas phanerogams are flowering plants and are further classified as monocots and Dicots.