Talk:Cryptogam

Some quips with the language

This article specifies that cryptogams only included vascular plants. Moss is not a vascular plant, and lichens are not plants at all.

Maybe the introduction should read "A cryptogam is any non-motile organism which reproduces by spores." I believe there's an even better word for "an organism that grows in/on its food," but can't seem to find it. Anyway, introducing the page that way allows the non-plant content of the page to make sense. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jergling (talk • contribs) 00:14, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

I agree that the word "vascular" should be dropped from the first sentence. I will be bold and do that. But, to quibble with your quibble, your proposed definition will not work. It is best to understand the cryptogam concept in terms of the science of its day. The word "plant" has had, and still has, many meanings. The Wikipedia article Plant gives three different definitions of the taxon "Plantae" in current use today. And please remember that until the 1950s, the Plant Kingdom included the Fungi, the Bacteria, and all the Algae, many of which are indeed motile. (Algae included all one-celled species that photosynthesize, as well as some multicellular seaweeds.) Euglena, for example, was in the Algae (if you were a Botanist) or in the Protozoa (if you were a Zoologist).

''' '' Solo Owl '' ''' (talk) 20:45, 15 June 2012 (UTC)