Tracheophytes

Tracheophytes, or vascular plants, are a major lineage of land plants distinguished by the presence of specialized conducting tissues, xylem and phloem, that transport water, minerals, and nutrients throughout the plant. The defining feature is the development of vascular tissue with lignified cells, enabling greater height, size, and productivity compared with non-vascular plants.

Structural characteristics typical of tracheophytes include true roots, stems, and leaves, along with organized vascular networks. The xylem usually contains tracheids, and in many groups also vessel elements, which conduct water. The phloem transports organic nutrients. Many tracheophytes exhibit secondary growth, producing woody tissue that thickens stems and roots and supports long-term growth and structural stability.

In most tracheophytes, the life cycle is characterized by a sporophyte-dominant stage, with the diploid sporophyte being the familiar, conspicuous plant. Gametophytes are usually reduced and often independent only in seed plants; in seed plants, life cycles include seeds that enable dispersal and dormancy.

Tracheophytes are highly diverse and include both seedless and seed-bearing groups. Major lineages include the ferns (polypodiopsida), club mosses and their relatives (lycopodiopsida), horsetails (equisetopsida), and the seed plants, which comprise gymnosperms (such as conifers, ginkgo, cycads, and gnetophytes) and angiosperms (flowering plants). The group arose in the Paleozoic era and became ecologically dominant on land, contributing significantly to terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and the global carbon cycle.