A fern is a type of non-flowering plant that reproduces with spores.
Non-flowering plants can be found throughout the world. These plants, such as mosses, ferns, and pine trees reproduce in one of two other ways.
Whenever I go for a hike I am always looking at the beautiful natural world that surrounds me. That includes the long views from the peaks, but also the nice secluded spots along a creek in a forest. I love seeing bright flowers that I spot in a meadow or on the side of the trail. Those flowers are showy and help those plants reproduce. But, there are also lots of non-flowering plants throughout the Rocky Mountains and world that are cool and deserving of admiration.
Why Do Plants Have Flowers?
Plants have flowers in order to reproduce. The flowers allow the plants to create new seeds, which grow into new plants.
Remember though, many plants don’t produce flowers. Plants that don’t have flowers have two other ways that they reproduce. They either produce spores or make naked seeds (think conifers or gymnosperms).
Non-Flowering Plants That Reproduce With Seeds
The only non-flowering plants that still reproduce with seeds are the conifers. They, also called gymnosperms, reproduce with something called a naked seed. That means that the seed does not have a protective coating around it, a fruit.
Here is an old post that explains in more detail how conifers reproduce.
Non-Flowering Plants That Reproduce With Spores
The other means that non-flowering plants use for reproduction is spores. Seeds and spores have several differences. One of the easiest differences to see is simply the size. Spores are generally only one cell and are microscopic. In contrast, seeds are made up of many cells and are large enough to see.
Interestingly, spore producing plants are among the oldest types of plants on earth.
Examples Of Non-Flowering Plants
A moss growing on a tree trunk.
Mosses – These low growing plants can be found in moist areas and come in many varieties.
A liverwort is a type of non-flowering plant.
Liverworts – Liverworts have been around on earth for about 400 million years!
Ferns – Ferns come in a huge diversity of sizes and shapes, from tiny delicate maidenhair ferns to the large tree ferns.
A horsetail is a straight stalk with many joints.
Horsetails – These do actually look like a horsetail and grow near water or wetlands.
Conifers – As I talked about above, conifers or cone bearing plants reproduce with seeds. There are many conifers, especially in the mountains. Some of the common conifers are pine trees, spruce, and fir trees.