Give a brief account of Prothallus.

Explanation

In Pteridophytes, the spores germinate to give rise to inconspicuous, small but multicellular free living, photosynthetic thalloid gametophytes called Prothalli. They require cool, damp, shady places to grow. Because of this specific requirement and water for fertilization, the spread of living pteridophytes is limited and restricted to narrow geographical regions. The gametophytes bear male and female sex organs, called antheridia and archegonia respectively. The sex organs are multicellular, jacketed and sessile.