noun
- plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds, including ferns, mosses, algae, and fungi
Usage: botanical; plural form
Examples
- The forest floor was covered with various cryptogams including mosses and ferns.
- Botanists classify cryptogams as plants that lack flowers and seeds.
- Mushrooms and other fungi are considered cryptogams.
- The study of cryptogams requires understanding spore reproduction.
- Ancient cryptogams like ferns dominated prehistoric landscapes.
- Algae represent some of the simplest forms of cryptogams.