Question

Cryptogams are
(a)Flowering plant
(b)Flowerless plants, seedless plants or lower plants
(c)Higher plants
(d)None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: These plants don't have the structures that are normally associated with plants, like true stems, roots, leaves, flowers, or seeds, and other parts. The best-known examples of cryptogams are fern, mosses, algae, and lichens.

Complete answer:
Cryptogams are the lower plants that reproduce by spores, without flowers and seeds. The reproductive part of these plants is generally hidden hence they are represented as the non-seed-bearing plants. They vegetatively reproduce by cell division or fragmentation and asexually by the means of spores. However, Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of male and female gametes that can be isogamous, anisogamous, and oogamous.
In isogamy, gametes of similar size, shape, and behavior come near and fuse together. This type of reproduction is generally seen in primitive cryptogams. In anisogamy, the two gametes that slightly differ in size and behavior fuses together. In the oogamous type, the large and non-motile female gamete fuses with small and motile male gamete. In the oogamous reproduction, the female gamete is called megagamete and the male gamete is known as microgamete or spermatozoa.
Characteristics of Cryptogams:
-They are considered as the lower plants.
-These do not produce flowers, seeds, and fruits.
-These plants can be reproducing through vegetatively, asexually, and sexually.
-In advanced cryptogams, the oogamous type of reproduction takes place.
-Advanced cryptogams involve liverworts, mosses, pteridophytes, and algae that undergo alternation of generation.
-They complete their life cycle in two phases i.e. sporophytic phase and gametophytic phase.
-In the sporophytic phase, asexual reproduction occurs whereas in the gametophytic phase sexual reproduction takes place.
So, the correct answer is ‘Flowerless plants, seedless plants or lower plants.’

Note: -Cryptogams can live in the aquatic environment as well as on land.
-Most of the cryptograms needed a moist environment to survive.
-In cryptogams, the only fern has a vascular system for the transportation of fluids within the organisms.