Cryptogam

A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant, in the broad sense of the word, or a plant-like organism that shares similar characteristics, such as being multicellular, photosynthetic, and primarily immobile, that reproduces via spores rather than through flowers or seeds.

This broader definition can include algae, fungi, and certain bacteria (like cyanobacteria), even though they may belong to different biological kingdoms.

## Contents

* 1 Taxonomy
* 2 In human culture
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Taxonomy

The name Cryptogamae (from grc κρυπτός (kruptós) 'hidden', and γαμέω (gaméō) 'to marry') means "hidden reproduction", meaning non-seed bearing plants. Other names, such as "thallophytes", "lower plants", and "spore plants" have occasionally been used.

As a group, Cryptogamae are paired with the Phanerogamae or Spermatophyta, the seed plants. At one time, the cryptogams were formally recognised as a group within the plant kingdom. In his system for classification of all known plants and animals, Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) divided the plant kingdom into 24 classes,[1] one of which was the "Cryptogamia". This included all plants with concealed reproductive organs. He divided Cryptogamia into four orders: Algae, Musci (bryophytes), Filices (ferns), and fungi,[2] but it had also traditionally included slime molds, and Cyanophyta.[3] The classification is now deprecated in Linnaean taxonomy. Cryptogams have been classified into three sub-kingdoms: Thallophyta, Bryophyta, and Pteridophyta.[3]

Not all cryptogams are treated as part of the plant kingdom today; the fungi, in particular, are a separate kingdom, more closely related to animals than plants, while blue-green algae are a phylum of bacteria. Therefore, in contemporary plant systematics, "Cryptogamae" is not a taxonomically coherent group, but is polyphyletic. However, the names of all cryptogams are regulated by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

## In human culture

An apocryphal story: it is said that during World War II, the British Government Code and Cypher School recruited Geoffrey Tandy, a marine biologist expert in cryptogams, to Station X, Bletchley Park, when someone confused these with cryptograms.[4][5][6] However, the story is a myth; though Tandy did indeed work at Bletchley, he was not recruited by mistake. At the time the field of cryptography was very new, and so it was typical to hire those with education and expertise in other fields.[7]

## References

1. ↑ Dixon, P. S. (1973). Biology of the Rhodophyta. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh. ISBN 0-05-002485-X.
2. ↑ "Cryptogams". Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. http://www.rbge.org.uk/rbge/web/hort/crypto2.jsp.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Smith, Gilbert M. (1938). Cryptogamic Botany, Vol. 1. McGraw-Hill. https://archive.org/details/cryptogamicbotan031880mbp.
4. ↑ Smithies, Sandy (19 January 1999). "Television Tuesday Watching brief". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/media/1999/jan/19/tvandradio.television1.
5. ↑ Davies, Mike (20 January 1999). "Cracking the code at last of Station X". Birmingham Post.
6. ↑ Hanks, Robert (20 January 1999). "Television Review". The Independent.
7. ↑ Knighton, Andrew (2018-05-27). "The Debunked Yet Interesting Myth About How Seaweed Apparently Helped Break the Enigma Code" (in en). https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/myth-busted.html.

## External links

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Microbiology: Protistology: Protists

Former
classifications|

* Protozoa
* Mastigophora/Flagellates
* Sarcodina/Amoeboids
* Testate
* Heliozoa
* Infusoria/Ciliates
* Sporozoa
* Algae
* Cryptogams
* Thallophytes
* Fungus-like organisms
* Slime molds
* Ambiregnal protists

Morphology|

| Archaeplastida|

| Chloroplastida|

* "green algae": Phycoplast
* Phragmoplast
* Flagellar apparatus

|

Glaucophytes:|

* Cyanelles
* Phycobilisomes

Red algae:|

* Pit connection
* Phycobilisomes

Hacrobia|

| Cryptophyta:|

* Mastigonemes
* Periplast

|

Haptophyte:|

* Coccolith
* Haptonema

Stramenopiles|

| General:|

* Mastigonemes

|

Diatoms:|

* Frustule

Brown algae:|

* Lamina
* Pneumatocyst

Alveolata|

| General:|

* Alveoli
* Trichocyst

|

Dinoflagellates:|

* Dinokaryon
* Dinocyst
* Theca

Ciliates:|

* Cilium
* Cirrus
* Macronucleus
* Micronucleus

Apicomplexans:|

* Rhoptry
* Apicoplast
* Microneme

Rhizaria|

| Phytomyxea|

* Cruciform division

|

Excavate|

| Kinetoplastids:|

* Kinetoplast
* Glycosome

|

Euglenoidea:|

* Periplast/pellicle

Amoebozoa|

| Dictyostelids:|

* Macrocyst
* Sorocarp

|

Opisthokonta|

| Choanoflagellates:|

* Collar of microvilli

|

General|

| Levels of
organization|

* Unicellular
* Monadoid
* Amoeboid
* Coccoid
* Colonial s.s.
* Colonial flagellated
* Tetrasporal/capsal/palmelloid
* Sarcinoid
* Coenobial
* Filamentous/trichal/hyphal
* Parenchymatous
* Pseudoparenchymatous/plektenchymatic
* Membranous/thalloid/foliaceous
* Multinucleated
* Syncytial
* Coenocytic
* Siphonous
* Siphonocladous
* Multicellular s.s./tissular/histonal

|

Cell surface
structures|

* Simple cell membrane
* Mucilage
* Scale
* Frustule
* Cell wall
* Lorica
* Skeleton
* Test
* Theca
* Periplast/pellicle

Locomotion|

* Flagellum
* Cilium
* Pseudopodia
* Gliding motility

Mitochondria|

* Hydrogenosome
* Mitosome

Nucleus|

* Nucleomorph
* Multinucleate cells
* Plasmodium
* Dikaryon
* Heterokaryon
* Mitosis in protists
* Open
* Closed
* Orthomitosis
* Pleuromitosis
* Meiosis in protists
* Gametic
* Zygotic
* Sporic

Other|

* Cyst
* Cytostome
* Fimbriae
* Extrusome
* Contractile vacuole
* Eyespot apparatus
* Pyrenoid
* Axostyle
* Mastigont system

Ecology and
physiology|

* Microbial ecology
* Microbial biogeography
* Baas-Becking hypothesis
* Development/Reproduction
* Life cycles
* Fertilization
* Nutrition: Autotrophy
* Phototrophy
* Heterotrophy
* Phagotrophy
* Osmotrophy
* Saprotrophy
* Parasitism
* Biotrophy
* Necrotrophy
* Mixotrophy
* Auxotrophy

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