Nonflowering Plants

Some plants don't produce flowers and seeds. Plants such as ferns and mosses are called nonflowering plants and produce spores instead of seeds. There is also another group called the Fungi, that include mushrooms, and these also reproduce by spores. We often think of these individuals as "non photosynthetic plants" when in fact they belong to their very own group or kingdom.

Spores are microscopic specks of living material. Ferns produce their spores on the undersides of the leaves (fronds). You may have seen them. They are the brown "spots" or "pads" on the bottom of the leaves. If you have access to a microscope, use it to look at the spores. You will find them to be a variety of shapes and unique to each kind of fern.

Plants from parts is a form of asexual or vegetative propagation. This process is sometimes called cloning because every new plant is exactly like the parent. One type of cloning uses cuttings--parts of plants that grow into new plants. Both stems and leaves can be used as cuttings. Another kind of cloning is grafting--the joining together of two plants into one. Other kinds of cloning use bulbs or tubers--underground parts that make new plants. You will learn more about bulbs and tubers in Case #5.