The key difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams is that pteridophytes are seedless and flowerless vascular plants while phanerogams are seed and flower-bearing vascular plants.
Kingdom Plantae has two sub-kingdoms as cryptogamae and Phanerogamae. Cryptogamae includes plants that reproduce through spores. Thus, those plants are seedless and flowerless plants. Furthermore, the sub-kingdom has three main groups as Thallophyta, Bryophyta, and Pteridophyta which includes mosses, algae, lichens, and ferns. On the other hand, sub-kingdom Phanerogamae includes seed plants gymnosperms and angiosperms. They produce visible reproductive structures called flowers. Both pteridophytes and phanerogams are vascular plants. The main aim of this article is to discuss the difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Pteridophytes
3. What are Phanerogams
4. Similarities Between Pteridophytes and Phanerogams
5. Side by Side Comparison – Pteridophytes vs Phanerogams in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What are Pteridophytes?
Pteridophytes are the first true land plants. They are vascular plants that have differentiated plant bodies. Hence, they have true roots, stem and leaves. They anchor into the soil by roots and have erect and rigid plant bodies.
Figure 01: Pteridophytes
However, pteridophytes do not produce seeds or flowers. They reproduce via spores produced inside sporangia. Also, they possess hidden sex organs. Their sex organs are multicellular. Their male sex organs are antheridia while female sex organs are archegonia. Pteridophytes show alternate of generations. Moreover, they have independent gametophyte and sporophyte phases. But their sporophytes are dominant. They also show circinate vernation. Peteridophytes include ferns, horsetails and lycophytes.
What are Phanerogams?
Phanerogams are seed plants that can bear flowers. In addition, they have visible sex organs. Sub-kingdoms of phanerogams are gymnosperms and angiosperms. Gymnosperms produce naked seeds while angiosperms produce seeds enclosed inside the fruits.
Figure 02: Flowering Plants
These plants are highly differentiated plants having true stem, leaves, and roots. They possess well developed vascular tissues; hence, they are vascular plants. Compared to pteridophytes, phanerogams are superior terrestrial plants.
What are the Similarities Between Pteridophytes and Phanerogams?
- Both pteridophytes and phanerogams are vascular plants.
- Also, they are land plants.
- Moreover, both have a differentiated plant body.
- And, they have true roots, stem, and leaves.
- Furthermore, they both are rigid and erect plants.
- Their sex organs are multicellular.
- Besides, both groups are autotrophs; hence, they carry out photosynthesis and have chlorophylls.
What is the Difference Between Pteridophytes and Phanerogams?
Pteridophytes are the first true land plants that are seedless and flowerless. Whereas, phanerogams are well-developed seed plants. Also, they bear flowers as well. So, this is the key difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams. Moreover, pteridophytes reproduce via spores while phanerogams reproduce via seeds. Thus, reproduction is a major difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams. Also, a further difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams is that the pteridophytes include ferns, horsetails, and lycophytes while phanerogams include angiosperms and gymnosperms.
The below info-graphic shows more details on the difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams.
Summary – Pteridophytes vs Phanerogams
Cryptogams and phanerogams are two sub-kingdoms of Kingdom Plantae. Generally, cryptogams include primitive plants than phanerogams. Pteridophytes are a group of cryptogams. They are the first land plants. They are seedless plants. Also, they are flowerless plants that reproduce via spores. On the other hand, phanerogams are seed plants. They bear flowers as well. Gymnosperms and angiosperms are the two major divisions of phanerogams. Thus, this is a summary of the difference between pteridophytes and phanerogams.
Reference:
1. Pteridophytes.” Biology Reference, Available here.
2. “Spermatophyte.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Feb. 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Dianthus sp. (“sweet william”) (Celina, Ohio, USA)” By James St. John (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Lycopodiella inundata 001” By Christian Fischer (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia