Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all
embryophytes (land
plants) that do not have true
vascular tissue and are therefore called "
non-vascular plants". Some bryophytes do have specialized tissues for the transport of water; however, since these do not contain
lignin, they are not considered to be true vascular tissue. , it is uncertain whether bryophytes are a natural or
monophyletic group or a
paraphyletic group, but the name is convenient and remains in use as a collective term for
mosses,
hornworts, and
liverworts. Bryophytes produce enclosed reproductive structures (gametangia and sporangia), but they produce neither
flowers nor
seeds, reproducing via
spores. The term "bryophyte" comes from
Greek βρύον,
bryon, "tree-moss, oyster-green" + φυτόν –
phyton "plant".