- History
- Appearance of cryptogams
- What is studying (object of study)
- Mushrooms
- Algae
- Bryophytes
- Lichens
- Ferns
- Main concepts
- References
The cryptogamic botany is one of the divisions of the branch dedicated to plants. Specifically, it focuses on plants that do not have any type of flower and that can become asexual plants or simply with covered sexual organs.
Among the group of plants that are studied in cryptogamic botany are algae (which can be from the sea or from sweet areas), plants such as mosses, lichens or fungi.
Algae are one of the species studied by cryptogamic botany. Source: Paulo Marcelo Adamek, via Wikimedia Commons.
In the study of the type of cryptogamic plants, botany is in charge of defining everything related to the form of reproduction, it allows cataloging the plants, defining the areas where they predominate or simply establishing their characteristics.
It has been possible to classify these types of plants thanks to systematic botany. This plant group is referred to as cryptogams, although they can also be called sporophytes, since normally their spores are only made up of a single cell.
The plants that are studied in cryptogamic botany are usually divided into three large groups: talophytes, pteridophytes and bryophytes. Although it should be noted that the classification has varied over the years.
History
Plants have always been the object of study by human beings and each scientific branch has been able to give it a different approach depending on the needs. These vegetables can be analyzed from the theoretical point of view or taking into account their usefulness.
Pure botany has been in charge of the theoretical part of the study and, from very early on, it was considered a branch of great importance for biology. For its part, applied botany focused on what could be done with plants. In that sense, it was the approach most used by doctors or agronomists in their fields of study.
Botany has been developed for thousands of years in practically all civilizations. For example, in classical Greece and Ancient Rome, there are already indications of the study of flowers.
Appearance of cryptogams
One of the first works on botany was thanks to Alberto Magno. He was the author of Seven Books of Vegetables and Plants that were published in the mid-13th century. This includes one of the first classifications that presents cryptogamic plants, by differentiating two plant groups: without leaves and with leaves.
The initial classifications of cryptogamic plants occurred much later. Johann Dillenius (1684-1747) was the author of History of mushrooms and Reproduction of ferns and mosses. At that time, botanists still had the belief that the dust of the mushrooms corresponded to pollen, something that was corrected in the future.
With the passage of time, botanists expanded the information on cryptogamic plants and created specific areas of study. At the end of the 18th century, more details were defined about mosses, which were initially studied by an area that was called bryology.
In the 19th century, the organization of cryptogamic plants experienced an advance thanks to Wilhelm Hofmeister (1824-1877), who discovered the variations of the generations. It was important because it managed to ratify and complete previous ideas.
In Spain, some scholars also focused on cryptogamic botany. In this sense, authors such as Mariano Lagasca and Mariano del Amo y Mora wrote different works on the subject during the 19th century.
Finally, two German botanists were in charge of defining that plants could be divided in 17 ways. This group of vegetation underwent important variations, as botanists decided to separate bryophytes and carophytes from other types of algae. They also established the differences between algae and fungi.
What is studying (object of study)
The study area of this division of botany deals with plants without flowers and without seeds. The term comes from the Latin 'cryptogamae', which in turn was a derivation of the union of two Greek words: 'kryptos' and 'gamos' that make clear the area of study they focus on as it means hidden and sexual union.
Cryptogamic plants are made up of algae (which can be sea or freshwater), moss, fungi, plants such as ferns and lichens.
Mushrooms
Among the cryptogamic plants it is one of the widest divisions. They do not have chlorophyll, so the photosynthesis process does not occur in this vegetation. They have a wide variety of different species that can be edible and in some cases are used to create vitamins. However, other fungi are characterized by being toxic.
Algae
They are plants that are located on the coasts. More than four hundred of these cryptogamic plant species are known. The most common or known are green, red and brown.
The presence of algae indicates that a large number of species can coexist in these areas, because thanks to them ideal ecosystems are created.
Bryophytes
They are terrestrial plants that are normally found in areas of high humidity or forests without much lighting.
Lichens
They are difficult species to analyze. There are thousands of variants of this type of plant that can also be found in different ecosystems such as wood, land or at the bottom of the seas.
Ferns
They have about 50 different families. Its presence occurs in places of the most varied characteristics. They can be in arid, high altitude, dark areas or in humid land.
Main concepts
There are several terms that are necessary to control when dealing with everything related to cryptogamic botany. Phycology, bryology or pteridology are the studies that focus on specific plants of the genus of cryptogams such as: algae, mosses and ferns respectively.
Sporophytes is the other name given to cryptogamic plants. It refers to the fact that the spores of these plants only have one cell.
Talophytic plants are also part of this group. They are those that are not composed of stem, roots or have leaves. The most obvious case is fungi.
References
- Berkeley, M. (2000). Introduction to cryptogamic botany. Naples, Fl.: NewsBank Readex.
- Cooke, M. (1875). Crevillea, a quarterly record of cryptogamic botany. 3rd ed. Edinburgh: Williams and Norgate.
- Fischer (1995). Second International Lichenological Symposium (IAL2). Stuttgart.
- Mali, N. (2017). Cryptogamic botany For Under-graduate Students. North Carolina: Laxmi Book Publications.
- Smith, G. (1984). Cryptogamic botany. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.