Have you ever heard of bryophytes? Perhaps you do not know what it is, it is not something that is usually talked about in any conversation or perhaps, on the contrary, you know how to relate it to a type of plant, bryophyte plants, but you do not know what it means that a plant be bryophyte.
In this Green Ecologist article we will talk about this group of plants, specifically we will explain what are bryophyte plants, with examples and their characteristics, so that when you finish reading you know something more about the plant world, about the natural world.
Bryophyte plants are a group of plants lacking vascular vessels, that is, of the "complex" conduits through which water and minerals that serve as food for the plant are transported.
They are the group of non-vascular plants more important. Non-vascular, as we have explained in the previous paragraph, means that they do not have vascular vessels or complex transport channels and, therefore, cannot reach large dimensions, that is, all bryophyte plants are small, although they can spread over large areas. In addition, bryophytes are multicellular and chlorophilic, this means:
In general, all bryophytes have green stems and leaves that can range from bright green to darker green, different shades can be seen. However, we can also appreciate bryophytes that even go as far as transparency.
In this section we will explain the environment in which bryophyte plants grow, their vegetative structure and the form of reproduction, in order to get closer to the world of non-vascular plants and to get to know the main characteristics of bryophyte plants:
We can classify bryophytes in three large groups:
Mosses are usually found forming dense mantles, each plant has tiny structures with functions similar to those of the roots (subjection to the ground) and with an appearance similar to hairs, they are called rhizoids.
The presence of these bryophytes helps prevent erosion of the soil in which they are found, which is generally rocky. In addition, seeing these types of bryophyte plants in some area is synonymous with environmental quality.
To get to know these bryophyte plants better, you can read this other post about Mosses: what they are, characteristics and examples.
Hepatic bryophyte plants are named for their appearance similar to the human liver. They develop in shady and cool areas, occupying large areas of land.
Here we explain much more about liver plants: what they are, characteristics and examples.
Anthoceropsids are very small plants with a simple structure. In fact, anthoceropsid bryophyte plants never exceed 3 cm in height.
In this link you will see more details about Anthoceros: what they are, characteristics and examples.
Bryophytes are classified into three types depending on their general characteristics, characteristics that have been explained in the previous section. But so that you know them a little more, here we leave you one list of examples of bryophyte plants according to their type:
If you want to read more articles similar to Bryophyte plants: examples and characteristics, we recommend that you enter our Biology category.