Non-Flowering Vascular Plants Chapter 8 in Judd et al. Focus on family characters and terminology for now, evolutionary relationships later. Look at pictures on the cd that came with book

Lycophytes 2 Families: Similar characteristics: Lycopodiaceae (Clubmosses), Lycopodium Selaginellaceae (Spikemosses), Selaginella Similar characteristics: Both are vascular plants, not true mosses Overlapping scale-like leaves Spores produced in sporangia that are in terminal strobili in Lycopodium (text fig 8.2) between the leaves in Selaginella (text fig. 8.3)

Lycopodium digitatum (=L. flabelliforme) Lycopodium annotinum Lycopodium dendroideum Selaginella arenicola

Small Families Related to Ferns Psilotaceae – Whisk ferns Equisetaceae – Horsetails Ophioglossaceae – Eusporangiate ferns Look at some pictures but you are not responsible for knowing anything about them at this time.

Psilotum nudum Equisetum hyemale Ophioglossum vulgatum

True Ferns (Leptosporangiate ferns) Mostly in family Polypodiaceae (7500 spp.) Also Osmundaceae, Marsileaceae, Cyatheaceae, but don’t worry about the differences. Often pinnately compound leaves, but actually a wide variety of leaf shapes. Spores produced in clusters called sori (singular = sorus). Sori are very important to identification.

Sori

Fern sori Often found on under-surface of leaves. May be covered by flap of tissue called the indusium. Shape of sorus and indusium v. important. Sori may be concentrated on separate fertile fronds or fertile leaflets.

Sori with indusia

Sori on separate fronds Osmunda cinnamomea Botrichium virginianum

Gymnosperms Seed plants without flowers or fruits. Seeds are usually in a cone-like structure. Four orders, but only the last one is important in our local flora Cycadales, the cycads Ginkgoales, the ginkgo tree, Ginkgo biloba Gnetales, the gnetophytes Coniferales, the conifers

Ginkgo biloba a cycad a gnetophyte

Important families of Coniferales Pinaceae – pine, fir, spruce, hemlock Cupressaceae – redwood, baldcypress, juniper

Juniperus virginiana Pinus clausa Taxodium distichum

Characters in the Coniferales Cone size, shape, position Needles individual or in bundles (fascicles) How many needles per fascicle Size, shape, twisting of needles Evergreen or deciduous