What : Plant that reproduces with the help of spores

Additional details :

• “Cryptogamae” implies ‘hidden reproduction’
• Called “flowerless” or “seedless plants” or ‘lower plants’
• Need a moist environment to survive
• Present in aquatic and terrestrial places
• Examples : Algae, bryophytes, lichens, ferns and fungi

What is in news : India’s first cryptogamic garden was inaugurated in the Chakrata town of Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Why this place

• Height of 9,000 ft
• Low pollution levels and moist conditions
• Has pristine majestic forests of Deodar and Oak which create a natural habitat for cryptogamic species.

MAHITI FOR PRELIMS : Plant kingdom can be divided into two sub-kingdoms viz. Cryptogams and phanerogams