1. Plantae-Vascular Ferns and Cycads
The One And Only:
Brandon “Bubba” Stebbins

2. Vascular Plants
Vascular plants, known as tracheophytes or higher plants, have special tissues for transferring water
This includes Whisk Ferns, Club Mosses, Ferns, Horsetails, Cycads, Ginkgos, and more.
Horsetails, club mosses, ginkgos

3. Vascular Plants Cont. Vascular plants have three systems Root System
Absorb water and minerals from the soil
Shoot System
The stems and leaves
Vascular System
Transfers water and photosynthetic products in the plant

4. CYCADS

5. Cycads Often confused with ferns or palms
Central Trunk with leaves on top and no side branches
Stout trunk
Rows of leaflets on both sides
Flat leaves
Grow mainly around the equator
Also warm and wet areas

6. Where Do Babies Come From
The Cycad has a cone (similar to a large pine cone) located in the middle of the plant
All species of cycads are dioecious
Male= Androstrobilus
Female= Gynostrobilus
The male produces pollen grains and are carried to the female
When the grains land they produce a pollen tube that connects deep into the females cone
Dioecious-male and female reproductive structures are born on separate plants. Carried by wind or insects

7. Where Do Babies Come From (Cont.)
The grains release sperm
Meets the females egg and fertilizes it
Produces a seed
Delicious
Birds eat them
Zygote turns into embryo which turns into a seed

8. Cycads-A.K.A. The Living Fossils
More common in the Triassic and Jurassic periods
About 245 to 140 million years ago
Flowering plants took over

9. Relatives? The closest living relatives are evergreen coniferous
Pine, Spruces, and Firs
Pine, spruces, firs

10. FERNS

11. Ferns Over 10,000 species Most are found in tropics
Tree ferns may grow as high as 40 feet
In some regions rhizomes grow underground
Fronds grow up from the rhizome each spring
Tree ferns have above ground stems, rhizomes-stems of ferns, fronds-the leaves

12. I Want One! Many ferns grow in the Midwest region
Grow in rich-nutrient soil
Grow in shady areas
Found in the undergrowth of forests

13. Where Do Babies Come From Again (Stage 1)
The first stage is gametophyte
Spores are produced underneath a leaf of a maturing plant
They germinate and grow into a heart-shaped plant called gametophyte
It will then produce sperm and eggs and fertilize itself
Once the fertilization occurs, the adult fern starts growing

14. Where Do Babies Come From Again (Stage 2)
The second stage is the adult stage
The adolescent starts looking like a mossy growth
Young fronds start to appear
If the fronds get to much sunlight the plant could die
Once the fronds get larger the plant has a better chance for survival
The fern will grow large and mature then grow spores and start the cycle again

15. VIDEO TIME!
Video

16. ?Quesitons?
Except Joe

17. You’ve been a great audience!
Thank You!
You’ve been a great audience!
“Stay golden pony boy”
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