Pteridophytes are vascular plants that reproduce via spores rather than seeds. They include ferns, horsetails, clubmosses, spikemosses, and quillworts. While pteridophytes do not form a monophyletic group, the term is still commonly used to collectively refer to ferns and lycophytes, which include clubmosses, spikemosses, and quillworts.

1. PTERIDOPHYTES
Pteridophytes or Pteridophyta, in the broad interpretation of
the term (or sensu lato), are vascular plants (plants with xylem
and phloem) that reproduce and disperse via spores. Because
they produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are referred to as
cryptogams. The group includes ferns, horsetails, clubmosses,
spikemosses and quillworts. These do not form a
monophyletic group, because ferns and horsetails are more
closely related to seed plants than to lycophytes (clubmosses,
spikemosses and quillworts). Therefore, pteridophytes are no
longer considered to form a valid taxon, but the term is still
used as an informal way to refer to ferns (monilophytes) and
lycophytes, and some recent authors have used the term to
refer strictly to the monilophytes.