Question

How do non flowering plants reproduce?

Answer 1

Hint: Flowers are part of the plants whose main function is to facilitate reproduction. They bear male and female parts, either in the same plant or different plant. However, there are many plants which never produce flowers. They are called non-flowering plants. Non-flowering plants do not contain distinct male and female parts. Gymnosperms, bryophytes and pteridophytes are all non- flowering plants.

Complete explanation:
Non-flowering plants mainly reproduce through spores and vegetative propagation. Spores are microscopic spots of living material found on the undersides of the leaves.
Some non-flowering plants also reproduce through seeds, for example gymnosperms. In gymnosperms, the sporophyte generates cones containing male and female gametophytes. The female cones are bigger than the male cones. The male cone contains micro sporophylls where pollen is produced. The female cone contains a megaspore mother cell which divides by meiosis to produce female gametophyte. The male and female gametophytes fuse to form a diploid zygote.
Bryophytes reproduce extensively through vegetative propagation. Some of the ways to reproduce vegetatively includes fragmentation, tubers, adventitious branches, gemmae, regeneration, primary and secondary protonema, by shoot tips and rhizoidal tips.
Pteridophytes reproduce by both spore formation and vegetative propagation.

Note:
Some of the non-flowering plants are grown at homes as an ornamental plant for decorative purposes. Seeds of some non-flowering plants are widely used for producing various food products. Gymnosperms are a good source of starch and are used in the production of sago. It serves as a major staple food for lowland or indigenous peoples. Other than the food, non-flowering plants are used by the pharmaceutical industry for the production of various medicines.