Bryophytes need water to reproduce. They do not contain any vascular tissue for up right support. These plants usually form mats of horizontally growing tissue. Nonvascular plants that form spongy mats. The plant grips the ground with elongated cells called rhizoids .
Photosynthesis occurs in the stem-like structures above the matted plant bodies.
They undergo an alternation of generations with the haploid generation being the dominant form of this cycle. The sporophytes are generally smaller and depend on the gametophyte for water and protection. Plants with bodies divided into lobes, life cycle similar to that of the mosses with special structures that propel the spores out of the capsule, and the ability to reproduce asexually from structures called gemmae . These are small bundles of cells that can bounce out of cups on the surface of the gametophyte when hit by rain water. These plants resemble liverworts, but the sporophytes are horn-shaped.