Seedless Vascular Plants
Ferns and other seedless vascular plants evolved in the late Devonian period. They brought with them morphologies that would extend into the majority of todays plants including, vascular tissue, leaves, and sporophyte dominance.
Vascular Tissue
With the evolution of xylem and phloem in the late Devonian period, plants were able to grow much taller than the non-vascular plants. Archaeopteris of the Carboniferous period were seedless vascular trees that grew up to 1.5 meters in diameter. They were common throughout the globe and have fern-like leaves.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/1/3/26138983/9301064.jpg?610)
Spores are releases from sporangium on the underside of the leaves of the mature sporophyte fern. The spores will germinate into a minuscule gametophyte that lacks vascular tissue and roots. Much like the gametophyte of non-vascular plants, sperm swims from the antheridium and into the archegonium to fertilize an egg. The new sporophyte zygote is dependent upon the gametophyte at first but eventually gain independence. Once mature the cycle will begin again.