By Chase Longo

Plant Phyla Project

• Seedless nonvascular

• Grow close to the ground to absorb nutrients

• Grow in most terrestrial habitats, even deserts

• Reproduce sexually or asexually (spores or fragmentation in some cases)

• Require abundant water for growth and reproduction, but can survive dry spells by drying out or holding amounts of water in dead cells

Bryophyta (mosses)

Barbella hypnales

Pyrrhobryum rhizogoniales

Pogonatum polytrichopsida

• Seedless nonvascular

• Typically small (2-20 cm wide, 10cm long); cover large patches of ground; rocks; or trees; single-celled rhizoids; thallus or leafy body

• Most common in tropical areas, but found in many other ecosystems

• Reproduce sexually or asexually by spores

• In ancient times it was believed they were medicinal, since they resemble the human liver

Hepatophyta (liverworts)

Lunularia cruciata

Marchantia polymorpha

Conocephalum conicum

• Seedless nonvascular

• Tall, narrow sporophytes embedded in top of plant; grows throughout life; small (1-2 cm across, 1-4 cm tall)

• Grow in tropical forests, along streamsides, disturbed fields

• Reproduce sexually by homospores, asexually by spores

Anthocerophyta (hornworts)

Phaeoceros laevis

Dendroceros crispus

Phaeoceros carolinianus

• Seedless vascular

• Small (no taller than one meter); some species resemble small pine trees

• Grow in the tropics and temperate climates

• Reproduce by spores

• Interesting facts: their spores are highly flammable and have been used in fireworks; huperzine, a chemical isolated in Chinese club moss, is currently being researched to treat Alzheimer’s disease

Lycophyta (club mosses)

Lycopodiella inundata

Lycopodiopsida diphasiastrum

Selaginella kraussiana

• Seedless vascular

• True roots, stems, and leaves; most are terrestrial, but some are epiphytic or aquatic, stems have a thick coat, rhizoids, roots are weak

• Found in moist environments, very few live in dry

• Sexual reproduction requires moisture, asexually reproduce by spores

Pterophyta (ferns)

Dicksonia antarctica

Adiantum lunulatum

Pyrrosia piloselloides

• Vascular seed plants (gymnosperms)

• Crown of large compound leaves, stout trunk, palm-like leaves

• Found in tropical and subtropical regions

• Dioecious (sexual reproduction)

Cycadophyta (cycads)

Cycas rumphii

Encephalartos sclavoi

Cycas revoluta

• Vascular seed plants (gymnosperms)

• Fan-shaped leaves; up to 30 meters tall; can live for 1000 years; edible seeds

• Temperate or Mediterranean climates

• Dioecious (sexual reproduction), separate sexes (male and female trees)

• Only living species is Ginkgo biloba, which was kept alive by Buddhist monks who cultivated it for thousands of years

• Interesting fact: the Ginkgo biloba is resistant to pollution and pests, and is also believed to be a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Ginkgophyta (ginkgoes)

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo leaves in summer

Ginkgo pollen-bearing cones

• Vascular seed plants (gymnosperms)

• Evergreen, needles, woody cones enclosing seeds, woody stems, in the form of trees or shrubs (mostly trees)

• Dioecious or monecious (sexual reproduction)

• Found in boreal forests

Coniferophyta (conifers)

Needles and bud of Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Awl-like leaves of Cook Pine (Araucaria columnaris)

Scale leaves of Lawson's Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)

• Vascular seed plants (angiosperms)

• Non-motile sperm, seeds enclosed in fruit, various mechanisms of pollination and seed dispersal

• Found in all habitats that have plants

• Sexual reproduction by pollination

• Interesting fact: human life is dependent on angiosperms for food, clothing, and many other things we encounter on a daily basis

Anthophyta (flowering plants)

Liriodendron tulipifera, yellow poplar

Cucumber tree, Magnolia acuminata

Water lily, Nymphaea alba