Vascular Plant

Any plant that has a specialized conducting system consisting mostly of phloem (food-conducting tissue) and xylem (water-conducting tissue), collectively called vascular tissue. Ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants are all vascular plants.

In contrast to the nonvascular bryophytes, the more conspicuous generation among vascular plants is the sporophyte (&see; alternation of generations). Because they have vascular tissues, these plants have true stems, leaves, and roots, modifications of which enable species of vascular plants to survive in a variety of habitats under diverse, even extreme, environmental conditions. This ability to flourish in so many different habitats is the primary reason that vascular plants have become dominant among terrestrial plants.