vascular plant

(noun)

any plant possessing vascular tissue (xylem and phloem), including ferns, conifers, and flowering plants

Related Terms

  • bryophyte

Examples of vascular plant in the following topics:

  • Seedless Vascular Plants

    • Seedless vascular plants, which reproduce and spread through spores, are plants that contain vascular tissue, but do not flower or seed.
    • The vascular plants, or tracheophytes, are the dominant and most conspicuous group of land plants.
    • By the late Devonian period, plants had evolved vascular tissue, well-defined leaves, and root systems.
    • Seedless vascular plants are plants that contain vascular tissue, but do not produce flowers or seeds.
    • In seedless vascular plants, such as ferns and horsetails, the plants reproduce using haploid, unicellular spores instead of seeds.
  • The Major Divisions of Land Plants

    • Land plants, or embryophytes, are classified by the presence or absence of vascular tissue and how they reproduce (with or without seeds).
    • Plants that lack vascular tissue, which is formed of specialized cells for the transport of water and nutrients, are referred to as non-vascular plants or bryophytes.
    • Non-vascular embryophytes probably appeared early in land plant evolution and are all seedless.
    • In contrast, vascular plants developed a network of cells, called xylem and phloem, that conduct water and solutes throughout the plant.
    • Lycophytes and pterophytes are both referred to as seedless vascular plants because they do not produce any seeds.
  • Bryophytes

    • Bryophytes (liverworts, mosses, and hornworts) are non-vascular plants that appeared on earth over 450 million years ago.
    • Bryophytes are the group of seedles plants that are the closest-extant relative of early terrestrial plants.
    • By the Silurian period, however, vascular plants had spread through the continents.
    • This compelling fact is used as evidence that non-vascular plants must have preceded the Silurian period.
    • Although the term non-tracheophyte is more accurate, bryophytes are commonly called non-vascular plants.
  • Early Plant Life

    • Today, however, seedless plants represent only a small fraction of the plants in our environment.
    • Of these, more than 260,000 are seed plants.
    • Seedless plants are classified into three main categories: green algae, seedless non-vascular plants, and seedless vascular plants.
    • Seedless non-vascular plants (bryophytes), such as mosses, are the group of plants that are the closest extant relative of early terrestrial plants.
    • Seedless vascular plants include horsetails and ferns.
  • Ferns and Other Seedless Vascular Plants

    • Ferns, club mosses, horsetails, and whisk ferns are seedless vascular plants that reproduce with spores and are found in moist environments.
    • Water is required for fertilization of seedless vascular plants; most favor a moist environment.
    • The club mosses, or phylum Lycopodiophyta, are the earliest group of seedless vascular plants.
    • With their large fronds, ferns are the most-readily recognizable seedless vascular plants.
    • They are considered the most-advanced seedless vascular plants and display characteristics commonly observed in seed plants.
  • Evolution of Land Plants

    • Embryo protection developed prior to the development of vascular plants which, in turn, evolved before seed plants and flowering plants.
    • The oldest-known vascular plants have been identified in deposits from the Devonian.
    • One of the richest sources of information is the Rhynie chert, a sedimentary rock deposit found in Rhynie, Scotland, where embedded fossils of some of the earliest vascular plants have been identified .
    • The extinct vascular plants, classified as zosterophylls and trimerophytes, most probably lacked true leaves and roots, forming low vegetation mats similar in size to modern-day mosses, although some trimetophytes could reach one meter in height.
    • This Rhynie chert contains fossilized material from vascular plants.
  • Plant Tissues and Organ Systems

    • They differentiate into three main types: dermal, vascular, and ground tissue.
    • Vascular tissue transports water, minerals, and sugars to different parts of the plant.
    • Vascular tissue is an example of a complex tissue.
    • In stems, the xylem and the phloem form a structure called a vascular bundle ; in roots, this is termed the vascular stele or vascular cylinder.
    • Vascular plants have two distinct organ systems: a shoot system and a root system .
  • Vascular Tissue: Xylem and Phloem

    • Xylem and phloem form the vascular system of plants to transport water and other substances throughout the plant.
    • The first fossils that show the presence of vascular tissue date to the Silurian period, about 430 million years ago.
    • Together, xylem and phloem tissues form the vascular system of plants .
    • It is the thick walls of the tracheids that provide support for the plant and allow it to achieve impressive heights.
    • By growing higher than other plants, tall trees cast their shadow on shorter plants and limit competition for water and precious nutrients in the soil.
  • Primary and Secondary Growth in Stems

    • Lateral meristems include the vascular cambium and, in woody plants, the cork cambium .
    • The vascular cambium is located just outside the primary xylem and to the interior of the primary phloem.
    • The activity of the vascular cambium gives rise to annual growth rings.
    • Secondary vascular tissue is added as the plant grows, as well as a cork layer.
    • The bark of a tree extends from the vascular cambium to the epidermis.
  • Stem Anatomy

    • Parenchyma cells are the most common plant cells .
    • As with the rest of the plant, the stem has three tissue systems: dermal, vascular, and ground tissue.
    • Woody plants have a tough, waterproof outer layer of cork cells commonly known as bark, which further protects the plant from damage.
    • They provide support to plant structures.
    • Sclerenchyma fibers cap the vascular bundles.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.