Lycopod facts for kids
Quick facts for kids LycopodTemporal range: Silurian to Recent
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| Lycopodiella inundata | |
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Lycopodiophyta
Cronquist, Takht. & W.Zimm.
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Lycopods, also known as Lycopodiophyta or Lycophyta, are a very old group of plants. They are the oldest type of vascular plants still alive today. Vascular plants are like plants with a built-in plumbing system to carry water and nutrients. Scientists have found fossils of Lycopods that are about 410 to 428 million years old!
These plants are considered some of the most basic or "primitive" living plant species. They reproduce by releasing tiny spores, which are like plant seeds but much simpler. Lycopods are special because their leaves, called microphylls, have only one simple vein. Other vascular plants, like ferns and seed plants, have much more complex leaves with many veins.
Types of Lycopods
There are about 1,200 different kinds of Lycopods alive today. Scientists usually group them into three main types. There were also many other types of Lycopods that are now extinct, meaning they no longer exist.
The main living groups are:
- Lycopodiales: These are often called Clubmosses.
- Isoetales: These are known as Quillworts.
- Selaginellales: These are called Spikemosses.
How Lycopods Reproduce
Lycopods reproduce using spores, not seeds. Their life cycle involves two main stages that take turns. The main plant you see is the "sporophyte" stage, which is the one that produces the spores. These spores then grow into a tiny plant that produces new sporophytes.
Images for kids
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Artist's impression of a Lepidodendron
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External impression of Lepidodendron from the Upper Carboniferous of Ohio
See also
In Spanish: Lycopsida para niños
