1. A group of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds, including ferns, horsetails, and clubmosses.
Usage: plural form; singular is pteridophyte; botanical/scientific term; commonly studied in biology and botany courses

Examples

• Pteridophytes were among the first plants to develop vascular tissue for transporting water and nutrients.
• Ferns are the most common pteridophytes found in tropical rainforests.
• Unlike flowering plants, pteridophytes rely on moisture for their reproductive cycle.
• Students learned to identify pteridophytes by examining their fronds and spore-bearing structures.
• Pteridophytes have existed on Earth for over 400 million years.
• The fossil record shows that pteridophytes dominated many ancient ecosystems before the rise of seed plants.