Ferns, Mosses, Horsetails

Characteristics :

Ferns:

Have tubes for carrying food and water throughout plant
Have roots, underground stems (rhizomes), and leaves (fronds)
Leaf cells contain chlorophyll, the pigment for making food
Reproduce by using both a single-celled reproductive structure (spore) and a sexual union of egg and sperm cells; may also reproduce by runners; do not make flowers or seeds; must have water in order for sperm to reach egg c

Mosses:

Grow upright
Have no tube-like structures for carrying food and water, therefore must absorb water from soil and air
Do not have true roots, stems, or leaves
Reproduce byusing both a single-celled reproductive structure (spore) and a sexual union of egg and sperm cells; do not make flowers or seeds
Must have water in order for sperm to reach the egg cell

Horsetails:

Have both upright stems and horizontal stems, called rhizomes, that extend along the ground; roots emerge from the rhizomes
Upright stems are green and jointed; straw-shaped leaves emerge from the joints forming a whorl
Stems cintain crystals of silica, making the plant abrasive

Taxanomy:

Classification of ferns, mosses, and horsetails is undergoing restructuring. Listed below is a possible system of classification for these organisms, taken only to the phylum level.

Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Anthocerophyta (hornworts)
  - Class: Anthocerota
- Bryophyta (mosses)
  - Andreaopsida (granite mosses)
  - Bryopsida (true mosses)
  - Sphagnopsida (peat mosses)
- Hepatophyta (liverworts)
  - Jungemanniidea (similar to moss in appearance)
  - Marchantiopsida (leaf-like in appearance)

Ferns and Fern allies

Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Polypodiophyta (ferns)
  - Class
    - Filicopsida (maidenhair ferns, others)
    - Marattiopsida (giant ferns)
    - Ophioglossopsida (graper ferns)
  - Lycopodiophyta (club mosses)
    - Lycopodiopsida
  - Psilophyta (wisk fern)
    - Psilopsida
  - Equistophyta (horsetails)
    - Equisetopsida

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