LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

BOT 101 – DIVERSITY OF PLANTS

TOPIC: PTERIDOPHYTES
OLOKOOBA, R.O.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this class, you should:
• Have an understanding of pteridophytes, their habitat, characteristics, and reproduction.
• Know the characteristics that separate them from other groups of plants.
• Be able to identify the common members in your environment.
• Be aware of the diverse ecologic and economic importance of pteridophytes.

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INTRODUCTION
• Etymology: Pteridophyte is derived from a Greek word ‘Pteron’ means Feather
and ‘Phyto’ means Plant.
• Bryophytes constitute the most primitive seedless vascular plants that reproduce
by means of spores. They are therefore called “Vascular Cryptogams“.
• They are also referred to as “Amphibians of plant kingdom” because they
depend on an external source of water for fertilization
• Haeckel (1866) called these groups of plant “Pteridophytes” because of their
pinnate or feather - like fronds (leaves).
• There are about 11,000 species of living Pteridophytes are known ranging from
small aquatic plant to giant tree ferns of tropical forests.
• The pteridophytes occupy an intermediate place between bryophytes and
spermatophytes.

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HABITATS OF PTERIDOPHYTES
• Like other cryptogams, pteridophytes are also native citizens of the whole
world.
• Some Pteridophytes are terrestrial and grow in both hills, plains, moist and
shady places.
• They also occur in humid and tropical climates and usually grow on soil, rocks,
in ponds as hydrophytes and as epiphytes on other plants.

Fig 1 : Adiantum Sp.

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GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
• They have true vascular tissues for support and transport of water and nutrients.
• Like bryophytes, pteridophytes also exhibit alternation of generation.
• The plant body of pteridophytes varies in two distinct phases during their life cycle:-
The Gametophytic Phase and the Sporophytic Phase.
• The diploid sporophyte is the dominant phase in the life cycle and the sporophyte is
independent of gametophyte.
• The sporophyte is generally herbaceous and is differentiated into true roots, stem and
leaves.
• The leaves may be small (microphyllous) or large (macrophyllous) fronds.
• They are chlorophyllous and autotrophic.
• All vegetative parts possess vascular tissues organized into steles or vascular bundles.
So, pteridophytes are first tracheophytes in evolution of plant kingdom.
• The sporophyte performs vegetative reproduction and asexual reproduction.
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SIMILARTIES WITH BRYOPHYTES
• Both have terrestrial mode of life.
• Water is indispensable for the process of fertilization.
• Male gametes are flagellated and motile.
• he structure and ontogeny of sex organs i.e. antheridium and archegonium
is based on similar pattern.
• Both the groups have definite alternation of sporophytic and
gametophytic generations.
• Sexual reproduction is of oogamous type. Zygote is retained within the
venter of archegonium to form embryo.
• Sex organs are surrounded by sterile jacket.

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SIMILARTIES WITH SPERMATOPHYES
• In both the cases, sporophytic plant body is large, independently existing
and dominant phase of life cycle.
• The plant body is differentiated into true stem, leaves and roots.
• Vascular tissue is present.
• Spores are produced inside the sporangia.
• Presence of distinct alternation of generations.
• Process of photosynthesis is mainly confined to leaves. Stomata are present
on the leaves.

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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PTERIDOPHYTES AND BRYOPHYTES
Pteridophytes Bryophytes
• Predominant plant body is a Gametophyte is the dominant plant
sporophyte (2n). body.
• Sporophyte is well differentiated Sporophyte is only differentiated into
into root, stem and leaves. foot, seta, and capsule.
• Gametophyte is always thalloid. Gametophyte is either leafy or
thalloid
• Sex organs are reduced Sex organs are more developed
• They have well developed No vascular tissues
vascular tissues
• Roots are present Roots are absent
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CLASSIFICATION OF PTERIDOPHYTES
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Pteridophyta
• Class:
1. Psilotopsida (whisk ferns)
2. Lycopsida (club mosses and quillworts)
3. Equisetopsida (horsetails and scouring rushes)
4. Pteropsida (ferns)

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CLASS PSILOTOPSIDA - Whisk ferns
• Kingdom: Plantae • It is derived from the Latin, equus "horse" + seta "bristle".
• Division: • A class of pteridophyte consisting of only two genera,
Pteridophyta Psilotum and Tmesipteris, with very few species. These plants
• Class: Psilotopsida are characterized by the lack of roots, and, in one species,
leaves are lacking also.
• Order: Psilotales
• The Psilotophyta are small rootless plants that are epiphytic
• Family: Psilotaceae or grow on humus-rich soil and in rock crevices.
• Genus: Psilotum ;
Tmesipteris

Fig 2 : Psilotum Sp.

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 CLASS LYCOPSIDA - Club mosses and quillworts
• Kingdom: Plantae • Lycopods are characterized by dichotomizing branches.
• Division: • Spores borne in spore cases (sporangia) on the upper side
Pteridophyta of the fertile leaves (sporophylls),
• Class: Lycopsida • The spores are sometimes organized into cones; and
• Order: Selaginellales ‘microphyllous’ leaves.
• Family: • The leaves of some lycopods are long and grass like.
Selaginellaceae
• Genus: Selaginella

Fig 3 : Selaginella Sp.

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CLASS EQUISETOPSIDA - Horsetails and scouring rushes
• Kingdom: Plantae Genus EQUISETUM
• Division: Pteridophyta • It is derived from the Latin, equus "horse" + seta "bristle".
• Class: Equisetopsida • It is a ‘livng fossil’ the only living genus of the entire class is
• Order: Equisetales Equisetum.
• Family: Equisetaceae • Most horsetails grow in damp or marshy habitats, but some can
grow in drier soil
• Genus: Equisetum
• They are perennial plants, either herbaceous or evergreen. It
grows less than 4Ft but exceed 15Ft in some tropical and coastal
forest.
• They have tiny, scale-like leaves arranged in whorls at the nodes
of its stem.
• These leaves are fused together at their bases, forming a collar.
Fig 4 : Equisetum Sp.• They are green when they first appear, but they soon wither and
bleach. 12
CLASS PTEROPSIDA - Ferns
• Kingdom: Plantae Genus DRYOPTERIS
• Division: Filicophyta • Among 7600 spp. of ferns the dryopteris has 150 spp.
• Classs: Pterospsida • Male shield fern (Dryopteris filixmax) is world wide
• Order: Filicales in distribution.
• Family: Polypodiaceae • They flourish in shade and humid conditions.
• Genus: Dryopteris sp.
• It is a perennial herb.
• It survives during unfavourable conditions
(underground rhizome).
• The older leaves are termed as fronds.

Fig 5: Dryopteris Sp.

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REPRODUCTION IN PTERIDOPHYTES
Three types of reproduction occur in pteridophytes. They are; Vegetative, Asexual and
Sexual Reproduction
• Vegetative reproduction takes place by vegetative buds that develop on the
rhizome or by fragmentation of rhizome.
• Asexual reproduction takes place by means of spores produced inside the
sporangia.
• The sporangia are borne on the abaxial or in axils of fertile leaves called
sporophylls.
• The sporangia are borne singly or in groups called Sori.

Fig 6: Sporangia 14
REPRODUCTION IN PTERIDOPHYTES (cont’d)
• The sporophytes may be Homosporous i.e., they produce only one type of spores
or may be Heterosporous i.e., produce two different types of spores - Smaller
Microspores and Larger Megaspores.
• A diploid sporophyte (2n) phase produces haploid spores (n) by meiosis.
• These spores germinate to produce haploid gametophyte (n).
• Homosporous species produce bisexual gametophytes, whereas, heterosporous
species produce unisexual gametophytes.
• Microspore germinates to produce male gametophyte and megaspore produces
female gametophyte.
• The production of gametophytes starts the Sexual reproduction phase.
• The gametophyte is called Prothallus. They are all small, they have simple
structure and short life cycle, and are all produced by germination of haploid (n)
spores .
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REPRODUCTION IN PTERIDOPHYTES (cont’d)
• Gametophytes show the ventral and dorsal differentiation.
• The gametophyte is usually photosynthetic (not in heterosporous members)
and reproduces sexually, that is oogamous.
• The gametophyte bears multi-cellular and jacketed sex organs (antheridia
and archegonia) that produce the gametes. Multicellular embryo develops
in the archegonium.
• The antheridia produce male gametes (antherozoids), while the archegonia
produce the eggs.
• Fertilization occurs in presence of water and takes place in the venter of
archegonium.
• The diploid zygote develops into embryo in the archegonial venter. The
embryo grows by mitosis into a sporophyte (the typical "fern" plant).
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REPRODUCTION IN PTERIDOPHYTES (cont’d)
• In general, the
life cycle is
diplohaplontic
that shows
heteromorphic
alternation of
sporophyte and
gametophyte
which are
independent of
each other. Fig 7: Life Cycle of a Typical Pteridophyte – Dryopteris Sp.
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 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PTERIDOPHYTES
• The young plants are eaten cooked or raw by Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest and
in Japan, it is eaten like asparagus, a dish called tsukushi.
• The people of ancient Rome would used it to make tea as well as a thickening powder.
• The plants are used as a dye and give a soft green color.
• The silica is used to clean pans and pots and also for polishing brass and hardwood furniture
and flooring.
• Equisetum species are often used to analyze gold concentrations.
• E. arvense have served as herbal remedies. Its uses include treatments to stop bleeding, treat
tuberculosis, to heal wounds and ulcers, and to treat kidney ailments, urinary tract infection,
diuretic, sore mouth, burns, diarrhea
• In addition it helps combat osteoporosis, because horsetails cause increasing bone density.
• Some Native American tribes burned the stems and used the ashes to alleviate sore mouths or
applied the ashes to severe burns. others boiled stems in water to make a hair wash for control
of lice, mites and fleas.

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ASSESSMENT
• SECTION A – Answer True or False
1. Pteridophytes are first non-vascular seed plants. X
2. All pteridophytes are non-vascular plants.
3. Spike moss is a pteridophyte.
4. A fern sporophyte is leafy.
5. Spores in Pteridophyte form future fertile and sterile fronds.
6. Sexual organs in fern are found on gametophyte.
7. Fiddle heads are observed only in ferns.

• SECTION B
Reproduction in Pteridophytes occurs in diverse forms. Discuss with a well annotated
diagram where necessary.
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