cryptogam

cryptogam

cryptogam in botany, term used to denote a plant that produces spores, as in algae , fungi , mosses , and ferns , but not seeds. The term cryptogam, from the Greek kryptos, meaning "hidden," and gamos, meaning "marriage," was coined by 19th-century botanists because the means of sexual reproduction in these plants was not then apparent. In contrast, in the seed plants the reproductive organs are easily seen; the seed plants have accordingly been termed phanerogams, from the Greek phaneros, meaning "visible."

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"cryptogam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"cryptogam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-cryptoga.html

"cryptogam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-cryptoga.html

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cryptogam

cryptogam A plant that reproduces by spores or gametes rather than seeds (i.e. an alga, bryophyte, or pteridophyte).

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "cryptogam." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "cryptogam." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-cryptogam.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "cryptogam." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-cryptogam.html

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cryptogam

cryptogam A plant that reproduces by spores or gametes rather than seeds, i.e. an alga, bryophyte, or pteridophyte.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "cryptogam." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "cryptogam." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-cryptogam.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "cryptogam." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-cryptogam.html

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cryptogam. (Image by Eric Steinert, GFDL)