Five important Vascular plants

Five important Vascular plants:

Pteris

Pteris is a common pteridophyta. Pteris genus has about 250 species, commonly they are known as ferns. Pteris plants are vascular. They can be divided into root, leaves and stem,but unlike other vascular plants,they don’t reproduce through flowers or seeds,instead of spores. Pteris are popular ornamental plants. They are planted for their beautiful appearance. Also it can be taken as food in some parts of the world.

Equisetum

Equisetum are a kind of pteridophyta, vascular plants that don’t produce flowers, fruits or seeds. They reproduce through spores. The genus has about 32 species, commonly known as horsetail. These plants grow in wet, hilly areas and can be found worldwide except, Australia and New Zealand. They can be divided into stems, roots and leaves. Leaves are brown and can’t make food using photosynthesis. Instead, the green stems make food. They are planted as ornamental plants. Some of them have medicinal use.

Sword Fern

Sword fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) belongs to the genus Nephrolepsis, which is a tropical fern with about 30 species. Most of the species are found in terrestrial habitats. They are grown as ornamental plants. The fronds (large, divided leaf) are 50–250 cm long and 6–15 cm broad, with alternate 2-8 cm long pinnae (the small “leaflets” on either side of the midrib). It is common in humid forests and swamps, especially in northern South America, Mexico, Central America, Florida, the West Indies, Polynesia and Africa. Also known as the Wild Boston fern, Tuber ladder fern or Fishbone fern is in the broader family of sword fern.

Four Leaf Clover

It is also known as European waterclover in USA; ‘sushni’ in many parts of India and “aalaik keerai” in Tamil. It grows erect in shallow water or floats in deep water. Juice made from its leaves has anti-inflammatory, diuretic, depurative, febrifuge and refrigerant properties. It is also known to be diuretic and febrifuge.

Lycopodium

Lycopodium is an evergreen plant native to Europe and North America. It is also known as wolf’s foot, as well as stag’s-horn club moss It is a slender, trailing plant. The roots of this moss resembles a claw – hence the name Wolf’s Claw. Lycopodium grows wild in most of the northern hemisphere. In summer the plant produces spore cases at the tips of the stalks. Lycopodium is a constitutional deep acting remedy for deep seated progressive chronic diseases. “Lycopodium powder”, prepared from the spores of this moss, are explosive if present in the air in high enough densities. They were used as flash powder in early photography.