Answer: Pteridophytes.
- A Cycas, a gymnosperm with seed cones
- B Rose, an angiosperm flowering plant
- C Pteridophytes
- D Mango, a seed-bearing fruit tree
Correct answer: C. Pteridophytes
Explanation: Pteridophytes (ferns, horsetails) reproduce by spores, not seeds. All gymnosperms and angiosperms produce seeds. Seed production was a major evolutionary advancement.
Plants evolved from water-dependent algae through increasingly land-adapted groups, gaining vascular tissue (Pteridophyta), then seeds (Gymnosperms), and finally fruit-enclosed seeds (Angiosperms) - each step reducing dependence on water for reproduction.
Concept context
Classification of plants from algae to angiosperms. Understanding plant diversity is essential for NEET.