Rhyniophyta

1. Rhyniophyta
Damnjanović Ivana

2. Introduction

They have a key position in the history of
life.

3. Characteristics

They had simple shoots
rise from a creeping axis.

These shoots or stems
often branched in a simple
manner, forking into two,
and then into two again,
and sometimes the shoots
terminated in spore
capsules called sporangia.

4. Characteristics

These ancient plants lacked leaves, seeds, and
flowers.

Instead of roots they had horizontal stems,
connected with the soil by root hairs. The whole
plant was generally less than 50 cm in height.

5. Rhynia

Rhynia is a single-species genus of Devonian
vascular plants.

6. Characteristics

Rhynia was a simple, leafless plant with a
creeping, horizontal stem from which the
upright, aerial shoots arose.

The tips of fertile shoots bore oval-shaped
sporangia

7. Zosterophyllum

9. Cooksonia

The oldest representatives of the Rhyniophyta
belonged to the genus Cooksonia, which was
originally discovered in Wales in deposits from the
late Silurian (approximately 400 million years ago).