1. A group of small, non-vascular plants that includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, typically found in moist environments and lacking true roots and vascular tissue.
Usage: plural form; singular is bryophyte; botanical/scientific term; commonly studied in biology and ecology

Examples

• Bryophytes are among the earliest land plants and play an important role in ecosystems.
• The forest floor was covered with bryophytes, including soft mosses and delicate liverworts.
• Unlike flowering plants, bryophytes do not have true roots or vascular tissue.
• Bryophytes require moisture to reproduce because their sperm must swim through water.
• Scientists study bryophytes to understand plant evolution and adaptation to land.
• The damp rocks near the waterfall were colonized by various bryophytes.