What do we call the group of plants that reproduce via spores rather than seeds?

The group of plants that reproduces via spores rather than seeds is known as pteridophytes. Pteridophytes include ferns, horsetails, and clubmosses, which reproduce through the process of spore formation. These plants have a life cycle that involves both a sporophyte generation, which is the dominant phase, and a gametophyte generation, which is typically smaller and less conspicuous.

In contrast, angiosperms are flowering plants that reproduce through seeds contained within fruits, and gymnosperms are non-flowering plants that also reproduce through seeds but do so without the protection of fruits. Non-vascular plants, such as mosses and liverworts, reproduce via spores as well, but they are a separate category from pteridophytes and are generally simpler and smaller, lacking true vascular tissue. This distinction highlights the specific characteristics of pteridophytes as spore-reproducing vascular plants.