CRYPTOGAM

cryptogam

(noun) formerly recognized taxonomic group including all flowerless and seedless plants that reproduce by means of spores: ferns, mosses, algae, fungi

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

cryptogam (plural cryptogams)

Any plant that reproduces using spores (rather than seeds), formerly placed in the taxonomic group Cryptogamae, which included ferns, mosses, algae, fungi, lichens and liverworts.

Synonyms

• (plant that reproduces using spores): aëtheogam

Coordinate terms

• phanerogam

Source: Wiktionary

Cryp"to*gam (krp"t-gm), n. Etym: [Cf. F. cryptogame. See Cryptogamia.] (Bot.)

Definition: A plant belonging to the Cryptogamia. Henslow.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition