DENDROLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Pteridophytes are vascular plants that produce spores. These include ferns, horsetails, clubmoss, and spikemoss.

Detailed explanation-2: -Spores are most conspicuous in the non-seed-bearing plants, including liverworts, hornworts, mosses, and ferns. In these lower plants, as in fungi, the spores function much like seeds. In general, the parent plant sheds the spores locally; the spore-generating organs are frequently located on the undersides of leaves.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ferns reproduce by producing spores. Spores are structures with tough, protective coating. This helps in the survival of spores in harsh conditions. The spores in ferns are produced by bodies called sori.

Detailed explanation-4: -On the underside of the fronds are sporangia. Within the sporangia are spore producing cells called sporogenous cells. These cells undergo meiosis to form haploid spores. The spores on most ferns are the same size and perform the same function.