Non-seed vascular Plants Divisions of non-seed vascular plants Psilophyta – whisk ferns Lycophyta - club mosses Arthrophyta - horse tails Pterophyta - ferns

Non-seed vascular plants The sporophyte generation is dominant Antheridia - structure that produces sperm Archegonia – structure that produces eggs

Psilophyta – Whisk Ferns Thought to be the first of the vascular plants Only vascular plants without leaves or roots Found in tropical and sub-tropical climates Very little economic importance – a few uses in Hawaii

Lycophyta – Club Mosses Leafy stems resemble moss gametophyte Reproductive structure resembles a club All have roots, stems, and small leaflike structures A single vein of vascular tissue in each leaf-like structure

Arthrophyta - Horsetails Only about 15 species Contain silica and were once used to scour cooking utensils Found in marshes, shallow ponds, stream banks and other damp soils Stems are ribbed, jointed and hollow Spores are produced at the tip of the stems.

Pterophyta - Ferns More dominant than club mosses and horsetails Can be found in many places Some species become dormant when water is scarce, and resume growth and reproduction when water is available

Fern structures Rhizome is a thick underground stem. Leaves are called fronds Spores are produced in sporangia (sorus, sori) Ferns are the first vascular plants to evolve leaves with branched vascular tissue

Origins of non-seed vascular plants Vascular plants could live on land and grow much larger. First appeared during the Devonian Period. Tree sized non-seed vascular plants dominated during the Carboniferous period – these plants (the lycophytes) became today’s coal and oil deposits.