Pteridophyte

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Pteridophytes are a phylum of plants. They are the
vascular plants (those
having xylem and phloem tissues) that reproduce by
releasing spores rather than seeds, and they include the
highly diverse true ferns and other graceful, primarily
forest-dwelling plants. There are about eleven thousand
different species of pteridophytes, making them the most
diverse land plants after the flowering plants
(angiosperms). Pteridophytes may represent the closest
living relatives (sister group) to the seed plants.No
pteridophytes are cultivated as crop plants, but the leaf
buds ("fiddleheads") of some ferns are commercially
harvested and canned or frozen. Fern leaves used in
floral arrangements are a major industry in Florida, and
in some cultures tree fern stems are used to make
elegant, naturally sculpted bowls. The contrasting colors
of the vascular tissue in the stems and leaf bases of
these plants create complex and pleasing designs. In
the past, club moss spores provided the powder used to
coat rubber gloves and prophylactics, and
photographers used masses of these same spores as
flash powder, since they could be easily and quickly
ignited.

banana tree
The banana (Musa spp.) is not technically a tree but is instead
a large herb. Bananas are grown in large-scale fruit production
in warm climates, but ornamental bananas with varied growth
habits and fruit characteristics are commonly grown as
houseplants in temperate climates. With proper cultural care
and acceptable environmental conditions, bananas should be
able to yield fruit that may, depending on the specific banana
type, be palatable. Banana plants may also be used for a
number of non-food purposes. Unlike trees, the banana has
a succulent, juicy pseudo stem that emerges from a
fleshy corm in the ground from which multiple suckers
grow. The banana plant has smooth, tender leaves
arranged in a spiral around the stem. Depending on the
species or hybrid, leaves can be up to 9 feet long and
may be entirely green or variegated. Male and female
flowers are borne in a cluster at the tip of the stem;
female flowers eventually mature into the banana fruit.
Bananas prefer rich, fertile soils and a sunny, sheltered
location.

horsetail

Horsetails are very primitive plants belonging to the

genus Equisetum, vascular plants that reproduce by spores in a
similar fashion to ferns. The plant consists of long, hollow, narrow
stem segments with minisule, non-photosynthetic leaves. Many
species are branched and have “bristles” radiating our from each
stem segment. Horsetails have a fair range of size– some extinct
prehistoric species were quite large and treelike. It is thought that
the first horsetails arose in the late Devonian era.

The 20 extant species of horsetails have a worldwide distribution.

They typically live in moist, semi-aquatic areas, such around pond
lakes, marshes, or rivers.

Horsetails are known for their diverse chemistry. They contain high
levels of silica, magnesium, potassium, multiple flavonoids,
alkaloids (including traces of nicotine in some cases), saponins, an
various other minerals. This diverse chemistry makes horsetail an
interesting medicinal plant.

mosses
Mosses grow on rocks. Mosses have spread all around the
world and are found in wet environments such as
rainforests, wetlands and alpine ecosystems. They are also
common in urban areas with a wet climate and often
establish on driveways, sidewalks, brick walls and other
man-made structures. Mosses require water to reproduce
which is why they struggle to survive in drier climates.
Mosses are important for a number of reasons and from
many different aspects of life on Earth. For insects and other
invertebrates, mosses can provide a great habitat and source
of food. At a larger scale, mosses perform a number of
functions that help ecosystems perform effectively such as
filtering and retaining water, stabilizing the ground and
removing CO2‚ from the atmosphere.