All plants produce flowers or spores

[Phisherman]

True or False?

[paghat]

I'm gonna say false, though its been so many years since I've read about the wide array of plant reproduction tactics that I probably couldn't offer a coherent thesis now. I may get some of this wrong, but what comes to mind: Algae reproduction is fantastically diverse. While many algaes produce spores or even mobile zoospores resembling animal planktons, others reproduce (sexually) by conjugation & division, or (asexually) by mitosis, & some multicellular algaes merely fragment & grow new plants from their many pieces. Some algaes use multiple reproduction tactics, but production of spores isn't shared by all species of algaes. Some algaes more resemble bacteria than they do higher plants.

-paghat the ratgirl

[Pam - gardengal]

'Higher plants' may be the key here. Technically, the Kingdom Plantae excludes bacteria, algae and fungi (each comprises their own kingdom - Monera [bacteria and blue-green algae], Prostista [all other algae and protozoans] and Fungi [the mushrooms, molds and other fungi]). The requirement for inclusion in the Kingdom Plantae is that the organism be multicelled, be a eucaryote (the cell walls are separated by a membrane, typically cellulose) and be able to manufacture its own food.

But the idea is there - the statement is more false than true. There is not much in the world of plants that can be simplified that succinctly.

pam - gardengal

[Cereus-validus]

False.

All plants produce reproductive spores of one type or another.

Flowering plants produce spores also.

However, the megaspores and microspores are highly modified. The megaspores become seeds while the microspores become pollen.

[Beecrofter]

yes

[Cereus-validus]

yes AND no!!!