Pteridophyte

Pteridophytes (from the Greek pteros, wing and phytos, plant), or ferns, are a phylum in the plant kingdom. Plants in this phylum are vascular terrestrial plants: they have a sap conduction system.

Pteridophytes reproduce without seeds or flowers, only using spores. As such, they are cryptogams (from the Greek cryptos, hidden and gamos, marriage).

Their plant structure is characterised by the presence of a frond, which acts as the leaf.