non-vascular

Without internal tubes

Non-vascular describes organisms—especially plants—that lack a system of vessels for transporting water and nutrients.

Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are non-vascular plants, absorbing moisture directly through their surfaces rather than through roots and stems.

The term contrasts with vascular plants like ferns and flowering species, which have specialized conducting tissues.

bryophytes

moss

Spore-bearing ground cover

liverwortPrimitive spore-bearing plant
hornwortSpore plant with projections
sphagnumAbsorbent bog moss

peat moss · thallus · gametophyte · spore · capsule · rhizoid

algae

seaweed

Saltwater aquatic plants

kelpLarge brown marine algae
phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
cyanobacteriaPhotosynthetic bacteria producing oxygen

chlorophyta · diatom · red algae · green algae · spirulina · nori · dulse · thallus · photosynthetic · chloroplast

primitive

ancient

Very old indeed

ancestralOf one's forebears
earlyOccurring before expected
simpleFree of complexity

avascular · rootless · stemless · leafless · spore-bearing · seedless · flowerless

aquatic

freshwater

Non-saline aquatic environment

marineRelating to the sea
brackishMildly salty water
tidalOf sea rhythms

submerged · floating · wetland · bog · swamp · estuary · pond · waterlogged · saturated · riparian

Opposites

plant biology/tissue organization

non-vascularvascular

Of blood vessels

fern · tree · flowering plant · angiosperm · gymnosperm

anatomical/medical usage

non-vascularvascular

Of blood vessels

vascularized · arterial · venous

Family

vessel, vascular, angiosperm, cardiovascular, angioplasty, vasodilator, vasoconstrictor, vascularity

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