A plant that reproduces through spores rather than seeds, including ferns, mosses, and algae.
From 'crypto-' (hidden) + Greek 'gamos' (marriage/sexual union). Named because these plants' reproductive organs and processes were invisible to early botanists, appearing to reproduce mysteriously without visible flowers.
Ferns were absolute botanical mysteries for centuries—medieval people thought they reproduced by magic or invisible fairies because they never saw flowers or seeds, only spores under microscopes!
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