Vascular plants: FERN and FERN ALLIES

Tracheophytes: The Vascular Plants 

xylem (for transporting water and mineral nutrients)

phloem (for transporting sugars from leaves to the rest of the plant)

larger and more complex sporophyte is more prominent demonstrate increased levels of

organization

Major evolutionary advances of the vascular plants

Major evolutionary advances of the vascular plants

Major evolutionary advances of the vascular plants

Division Lycophyta: club mosses oldest extant group of vascular

plants sporangia organized into strobili

(sing.: strobilus) may be either HOMOSPOROUS or

HETEROSPOROUS Leaves that contained vascular

tissue

REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES

Lycopodium isospores bisexual gametophyte

REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES

Selaginella small spores (microspores) that

germinate to produce the male gametophyte

larger spores (megaspores) that germinate to produce the female gametophyte

Division Sphenophyta: scouring rushes

leaves produced at a node (WHORLS)

production of isospores spores bearing elaters (devices to

aid in spore dispersal) gametophyte is small,

photosynthetic and free-living Silica concentrated jointed stems

Division Psilophyta

traditionally considered to be the oldest living lineage of vascular plants

lack roots stem is photosynthetic no leaves but rather minute enations

sporangia occur in fused groups (synangia)bilobed synangia of Tmesipteristrilobed synangia of Psilotum

resembles what paleobotanists believe Cooksonia

CHARACTERISTICS:

1. Underground rhizome2. Unicellular rhizoids3. Erect stems dichotomize into the

main photosynthetic organ

REPRESENTATIVE species

Psilotum (2 species) and Tmesipteris (2-5 species)

Division Pteridophyta

reproduce by spores from which the free-living bisexual gametophyte generation develops

megaphyllous leaves leaf is called a frond

fiddleheads central axis of a compound frond is

called the rachis

ANTHERIDIUM

ARCHAEGONIUM

READING ASSIGNMENT

READ ON GYMNOSPERMS AND ANGIOSPERMS You may also use Biology by Campbell

and Reece