Definition: Seedless nonflowering plants of the class Filicinae. They reproduce by spores that appear as dots on the underside of feathery fronds. In earlier classifications the Pteridophyta included the club mosses, horsetails, ferns, and various fossil groups. In more recent classifications, pteridophytes and spermatophytes (seed-bearing plants) are in the division, or phylum, Tracheophyta.
prefer specific plant; coord with specific PLANT STRUCTURES term if pertinent; for use in therapy coord IM with PHYTOTHERAPY (IM) + disease/drug ther (IM) + PLANT PREPARATIONS or its indentations/ther use (IM or NIM) + specific plant chemical /ther use
ExamplesDennstaedtiaceae; Dryopteridaceae; Marsileaceae; Polypodiaceae; Pteridaceae
Other names Tracheophytas; Pteridophytas; Fern; Blechnums; Tracheophyta; Pteridophyta; Blechnum
