Chapter 9.2 Seedless Plants

Seedless Nonvascular Plants These plants are usually only a few cells thick and not very large. They have stalks that look like stems and green leaf like growths. They do not have roots, instead they have rhizoids that anchor them to the soil. They only grow in damp places. They only produce spores, no seeds. There are 3 types of seedless nonvascular plants: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.

Mosses Mosses grow on tree trunks and rocks or the ground. They usually must live in damp areas, but there are a few types of moss that can live in the desert.

Liverworts These are rootless plants with flattened, leaf like bodies and very small rhizoids.

Hornworts Small with flattened bodies and only have 1 chloroplast in each cell.

Nonvascular Plants and the Environment These plants can withstand long, dry periods. They can grow in very little amounts of soil. Mosses are usually among the first plants to grow in new or disturbed environments. They are a pioneer species – the first organisms to grow in new or disturbed environments.

Seedless Vascular Plants All of these plants reproduce by spores but they have vascular tissues. These plants can grow larger and thicker because they have a way to move water and nutrients to all plant cells. Ferns, ground pines, spike mosses, and horsetails are in this group.

Ferns This is the largest group of seedless vascular plants. Ferns have fronds – these are leaves that have spores on the underside.

Club Mosses Ground pine and spike mosses are in this group. They have needle like leaves. They are found in the tropics.

Horsetails They have a jointed, hollow center stem. They have a big tip at the end that produces spores. Horsetails have been used for polishing objects, sharpening tools, and scouring cooking utensils.

Importance of Seedless Plants Peat – this is decaying plants in a bog. It is used as low cost fuel in some areas of the world. Ferns are used as house plants. Some parts of seedless plants can be used as food.