Tag: kingdom plantae

A resurrection plant is any plant that can survive extreme dehydration and desiccation for years. Selaginella lepidophylla is a  a plant species that is native to America. It is an example of resurrection plant.

In mosses (bryophytes), the sporophyte is dependent on the gametophyte. In pteridophytes (like Selaginella/Ferns), the sporophyte is independent.

Selaginella is the primary example of a heterosporous pteridophyte belonging to the class Lycopsida.

Heterospory and heterophily are advanced traits found in genera like Selaginella, Salvinia, and Azolla. Psilotum, Lycopodium, Pteris, and Adiantum are generally homosporous and do not exhibit these traits.

The antheridium (male organ) is located on the lower surface of the fern prothallus and the archegonium (female organ) is located on the upper surface of the fern prothallus.

Cryptogams are defined as lower plants or plant-like organisms, that reproduce by spores. Vascular Cryptogams refers to those vascular plants, that do not make seeds.

In homosporous pteridophytes, the gametophyte (prothallus) is typically small, independent, and autotrophic, while the sporophyte is the dominant, independent, and autotrophic phase. Option A correctly identifies the autotrophic nature of the gametophyte.

Horsetail is in a family of plants containing about 35 species within the genus Equisetum. Scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale) is evergreen, with leafless, hollow, segmented stems with ash-colored bands. Stems grow to about 1/2 inch in diameter and reach up to five feet tall. Because the stems are rough and durable (due to their high silica content), they were called as scouring rushes, because early pioneers used them to scrub pots and pans. 

Vascular cryptogam is an old botanical phrase and it refers to those vascular plants that do not make seeds. Thus, cryptogam refers to the production of a separate, usually very small, archegoniate gametophyte. These are well represented in the fossil record.