1. A plant that develops from an embryo enclosed within protective tissue; any land plant, including mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants.
Usage: technical; biology

Examples

• Embryophytes are distinguished from algae by their development of an embryo within maternal tissue.
• Flowering plants are the most diverse group of embryophytes on Earth.
• Mosses and ferns are early-evolving embryophytes that lack true roots and seeds.
• The transition from aquatic algae to terrestrial embryophytes was a major step in plant evolution.
• Embryophytes have specialized tissues for water transport and support, allowing them to grow tall on land.