8.2 Plants Without Seeds

8.2 Plants Without Seeds

Nonvascular Plants • Do not grow tall • Do not have roots, stems or leaves • Live in moist areas • Absorb water directly from environment • Sperm cells swim to egg cells • Only 3 major groups • Mosses • Liverworts • Hornworts

Mosses • Grow in damp, shady spots • Rhizoids – thin, rootlike structures that anchor the moss and absorb water and nutrients from the soil

Liverworts • Often grow on rocks by a stream • Leaf-like structures resemble a human liver

Hornworts • Usually live in moist soil, mixed in with grass • Sporophytes look like horns

Seedless Vascular Plants • First types of vascular plants • Do not have seeds • Reproduce with spores • Can grow tall • Must grow in moist surroundings • Must be enough water for fertilization to occur • 3 Main types • Ferns • Horsetails • Club Mosses

Ferns • Fronds – fern leaves • Spores are spread by wind and water • Will grow into plant if it lands in moist, shaded soil

Horsetails • Jointed stems • Stems contain silica, a gritty substance also in sand • Prefer to grow in sandy soil • Considered a nuisance weed, because it easily regrows after being pulled out

Club Mosses • NOT mosses • Looks like a small pine tree • Ground pine • Typically grow near streams

8.2 Plants Without Seeds