Seedless Vascular Plants

1. Seedless Vascular Plants Plants with a vascular system but no seeds

2. Seedless Vascular Plants • Phylum Pterophyta • Phylum Lycophyta • Phylum Sphenophyta • Phylum Psilophyta

3. Phylum PterophytaFerns • 11,000 species • habitat = wetlands, especially in tropics • dominant generation is the sporophyte plant

4. Phylum PterophytaFerns Structures • vascular system =xylem and phloem • tracheids (water conducting cells) reinforced therefore can grow taller than non-vascular plants • roots, stems (rhizomes) • leaves (fronds) • fiddleheads= coiled baby fronds

5. Phylum PterophytaFerns Reproduction • Alternation of generations • Dependent on water for sperm to swim to egg • use spores to reproduce • reproductive spores in sporangia, on undersides of fronds • Clusters of sporangia = sori (singular = sorus)

6. Fern Life Cycle • gametophytes are small, flat and independent (bearded heart) • gametophyte dies as sporophyte grows gametophyte sporophyte

7. Fern Reproduction frond underside with sori sporangium fiddlehead

8. Phylum PterophytaFerns Examples: • leather leaf • Maidenhair leatherleaf Boston fern maidenhair

9. Phylum PterophytaFerns

10. Phylum PterophytaFerns

11. Phylum LycophytaClub mosses • have vascular tissue • roots, stems and leaves • leafy green stems branch from underground rhizome (stem)

12. Phylum LycophytaClub mosses Habitat wetlands Example : Lycophyta Dominant generation sporophyte ★Ancient species (now extinct) very successful during dinosaur days

13. Phylum LycophytaClub mosses Lepidodendron was a giant tree-like club moss. It towered to 45 m in height and flourished in the swamp forests of the Carboniferous.

14. Phylum LycophytaClub mosses Reproduction • alternation of generations • use spores (no seeds) • spores develop in sporangia on specialized leaves of sporophyte in cones (clubs) Club moss reproductive structures

15. Phylum SphenophytaHorsetails / snakegrass • have vascular tissue = roots (rhizomes), leaves, jointed stems • seedless • habitat = wetlands especially common along stream banks

16. Phylum SphenophytaHorsetails / snakegrass • alternation of generations • spores form in cones at tips of stems

17. Phylum SphenophytaHorsetails / snakegrass Example = Equisetum

18. Phylum SphenophytaHorsetails / snakegrass Dominant generation= sporophyte Use During Colonial & Frontier times, used to scour, or scrub, pots and pans.  Nature”s own Brillo Pad. 

19. Phylum PsilophytaWhisk ferns • seedless • habitat= wetlands • most closely resemble earliest vascular plants • vascular tissue= have branched stems and roots (no leaves)

20. Phylum PsilophytaWhisk ferns Interesting fact among the earliest known vascular plants found in fossil record, and are the simplest living vascular plants Cooksonia

21. Phylum PsilophytaWhisk ferns Reproduction • spores form in sporangia at tips of short branches Use • Hawaiians often collect the spores and • use them as talcum powder

22. Phylum PsilophytaWhisk ferns Example: Psilotum