Non-Flowering Plants Quiz

Ferns and Non-Flowering Plants

• Ferns are green plants that grow in damp places and don't have flowers.
• They are one kind of non-flowering plant studied by botanists.
• Non-flowering plants have been around for millions of years and are some of the most ancient plants on Earth.

Non-Flowering Plants from Spores

• Ferns are non-flowering, evergreen plants that grow from spores instead of seeds.
• Spores are tiny cells created by the plant, released into the air or water, and can travel away from the original plant to create new cells.
• Ferns live in damp areas, unlike many other plants.
• Whisk ferns are similar to ferns, but they don't have real roots or leaves.
• Mosses are another non-flowering plant that grows from spores, with over 12,000 different kinds.
• Mosses like to grow in areas that are moist and shady, often covering the ground like a velvety rug.
• Club mosses have leaves shaped like needles and small leaves that make clusters in the shape of a cone, found mostly in tropical mountain areas.
• Liverworts and hornworts are spore-producing plants that grow on top of damp rocks and soil, and sometimes on tree trunks in damp areas.
• Hornworts are one of the oldest plants on Earth.

Horsetails and Gymnosperms

• Horsetails reproduce by spores and have no flowers, resembling a horse's tail.
• Gymnosperms are non-flowering plants that grow from seeds, including conifers, cycads, and ginkgo.
• Conifers have cones instead of flowers and needles instead of leaves.
• Cycads are a group of non-flowering plants that grow in tropical climates, with very thick stems and large, divided leaves.
• Cycads have been around over 200 million years, even older than dinosaurs.
• Ginkgo, also called the maidenhair tree, is another non-flowering plant that reproduces with seeds, with fossils of leaves dating back over 270 million years.
• Ginkgo trees can live for up to 3,000 years.