Give the sailent features of Pteridophytes.

Explanation

1) Pteridophytes are used for medicinal purposes and as soil-binders.
2) These are the first terrestrial plants to possess vascular tissues.
3) They are embryophytic, archegoniate vascular cryptogams.
4) They prefer cool, damp and shady places.
5) The plant body is a sporophyte which is differentiated into true roots, stem and leaves.
6) The root system is adventitious.
7) The stele may be protostele or siphonostele or solenostele or dictyostele.
8) The leaves are small (selagenella) or large as in ferns.
9) The sporophytels bear sporangia that are subtended by leaf like sporophylls.
10) Most of the pteridophytes are homosporous but selaginella and Salvinia shows Heterosporous.
11) The spores germinate to give rise to Prothalli.
12) The gametophyates bear male and female sex organs called antheridia and archegonia.
13) The sex organs are multicellular jacketed and sessile.
14) Fusion of Male gamete with the egg present in the archegonium results in the formation of zygote.
15) Zygote develops into young embryo which produces a multicellular sporophyte.