IN SUMMARY

Plants are divided into two major groups: the nonvascular (Bryophytes and Thallophytes) and the vascular plants (Tracheophytes). They are divided by their characteristics which are listed below.

THALLOPHYTES (algae, diatoms, kelp, seaweed)

1. small to medium (one cell--microns to meters in length)
2. aquatic (marine or fresh water)
3. found in cold to warm water, upper 200 meters of water

BRYOPHYTES (liverworts, hornworts, mosses, and "whiskferns")

1. small in size
2. live in the Arctic and Antarctic, mainly found living in the tropical and temperate areas of the world
3. need shade and moisture to survive
4. not well adapted to land conditions, have such small anchoring structures that their plant body size must remain small in order to stay clinging to surfaces

TRACHEOPHYTES (horsetails, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants)

1. large in size compared to Bryophytes
2. live where extreme cold and heat does not exist
3. need direct sunlight to survive
4. all have a long root system
5. all produce seeds