Non-vascular+Plants

Non-Vascular Plants!

Basic Information

Non-vascular plants are called such because they lack vascular tissue such as xylem and phloem, although they do often have other forms of tissue designed for carrying water and nutrients within the plants. They also lack leaves, stems, and roots. Non-vascular plants grow from spores and their haploid (or gameophyte) phase is dominant. Non-vascular plants are often referred to as "lower plants" because they were among the first plants to evolve (due to their relatively simple structure).

Groups of Non-vascular plants

Algae: Algae is a diverse group of simple, autotrophic, photosynthetic organisms ranging in size from single-cellular to huge sea-weed and kelp. They resemble plants and are similiar in function but they lack many of plant's defining characteristics.

Byrophytes: These simple plants contain tissues and reproductive organs but lack true vascular tissue. They have no flowers and don't prduce seeds, procreating instead through the use of spores. The group includes liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. The haploid gameophyte stage is dominant and byrophytes can either be monoicous or dioicous. The Monoicous variety contain both male and female sex organs while dioicous have only one or the other. They reproduce by dispersing spores, which then form gametes and eventually a zygote.