Pteridophytes are vascular cryptogams and are the first vascular land plants. The main plant body is the sporophyte, which is differentiated into true roots, stems and leaves. Their xylem is lack of companion cells. The sporophytes reproduce by spores, borne in sporangia. Sporangia are usually borne on fertile leaves called sporophylls. Pteridophytes are mostly homosporous (one type of spores), but some are heterosporous with microspores and megaspores, e.g. Selaginella.

Spore germinates to give less differentiated thalloid gametophyte (haploid). Gametophyte or Prothallus bears antheridia and archegonia. Biflagellate or multiflagellate antherozoid fertilizes the egg and zygote developes into new sporophytes seeds are formed in Pteridophytes.

Dryopteris, the male shield fern has the sporophyte with an underground rhizome and large bipinnately compound leaves called fronds. It is homosporous, producing a large number of spores inside sporangia, which are aggragated in groups to form a sorus surrounded by inducium. Number of sori are formed on the under surface of sporophylls.

Spore is the first cell gametophyte, which germinates to give heart-shaped prothallus. Archegonia are formation which developes into new sporophyte.