CRYPTOGAMIC GARDEN

Recently, India’s first cryptogamic garden was inaugurated in the Chakrata town of Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The garden will be housing nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns and fungi (collectively known as Cryptogamae).
Plant kingdom can be divided into two sub-kingdoms viz. Cryptogams and phanerogams.
Cryptogams consist of seedless plants and plant-like organisms whereas phanerogams consist of seed-bearing plants.
Phanerogams are further divided into two classes i.e. gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Important points:

This garden is at Deoban in Chakrata at a height of 9,000 ft.
This site is chosen because of its low pollution levels and moist conditions which are conducive for the growth of these species.
Further, Deoban has pristine majestic forests of Deodar and Oak which create a natural habitat for cryptogamic species.

Cryptogams:

A cryptogam is a plant that reproduces with the help of spores.
The word “Cryptogamae” implies ‘hidden reproduction’, referring to the fact that they do not produce any reproductive structure, seed, or flower.
Due to this, they are called “flowerless” or “seedless plants” or ‘lower plants’.
They need a moist environment to survive.
These are present in aquatic and terrestrial places.
Algae, bryophytes, lichens, ferns and fungi are the best-known groups of cryptogams.
Classification of Cryptogams: Cryptogams are classified into 3 groups based on the various structural and functional criteria of the plant.
Thallophyta is a division of the plant kingdom including primitive forms of plant life showing a simple plant body. They lack roots, stems, or leaves.
It includes algae-like Spirogyra, Sargassum, etc.
They are predominantly aquatic and found both in marine as well as freshwater habitats.
Bryophytes comprise a limited variety of non-vascular land plants. They prefer moist habitats but they can survive in dry environments too. Example- hornworts, liverworts, mosses, etc.
They occupy an intermediate position between algae and pteridophytes.
Since bryophytes can survive in both water and land, they are considered as the ‘amphibians of the plant kingdom’.
A pteridophyte is a vascular plant that disperses spores. It is the first plant to have xylem and phloem.
Ferns are the largest living group of primitive vascular plants.