glossary of terms

 Sporophyte - The sporophyte (spore-producing moss plant) is very small and leafless and is attached to the top of the moss gametophyte (gamete plant). It consists of a seta (slender stalk) and a terminal capsule (sporangium). The moss life cycle. (source: http://www.nzplants.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/mosses/reproduction/the-sporophyte.html)

Spore - a haploid reproductive cell which gives rise to a gametophyte

Gametophyte - in plants and certain algae, the sexual phase (or an individual representing the phase) in the alternation of generations—a phenomenon in which two distinct phases occur in the life history of the organism, each phase producing the other. ... The nonsexual phase is the sporophyte. (source: Brittanica.com)

“Throughout the history of plants, there is a clear trend of the sporophyte getting bigger and the gametophyte getting smaller. So the most "primitive" plants (mosses) have dominant gametophytes. The next group to evolve was ferns, in which the gametophyte is still independent, but the sporophyte has overtaken it in size. Next came gymnosperms, at which point the gametophyte became completely dependent (encased within seed or pollen grain). And finally, the angiosperm gametophytes are even smaller than the gymnosperm gametophytes. Dr. Feldman hypothesizes that in another 60 million years, the gametophyte generation might disappear completely!” (Source: https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu)

Epiphyte - A plant that grows on another plant or host but is not parasitic. Nutrients are absorbed from the atmosphere rather than from the host.

Bryophyte - a small flowerless green plant of the division Bryophyta, which comprises the mosses and liverworts (Oxford Dictionary)

Rhizoid - a filament that anchors the plant to the ground. A root, on the other hand, is a sophisticated structure containing many different layers including vascular tissue, playing a key role in water and nutrient uptake. (Source: https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu)