Scientific names for the vascular plants group include Tracheophyta,[11][4]: 251  Tracheobionta[12] and Equisetopsida sensu lato.

However, this is an antiquated remnant of the obsolete scala naturae, and the term is generally considered to be unscientific.

[13] Botanists define vascular plants by three primary characteristics: Cavalier-Smith (1998) treated the Tracheophyta as a phylum or botanical division encompassing two of these characteristics defined by the Latin phrase "facies diploida xylem et phloem instructa" (diploid phase with xylem and phloem).

[citation needed] Sexual reproduction in vascular land plants involves the process of meiosis.

[18][20][21] Other researchers state that taking fossils into account leads to different conclusions, for example that the ferns (Pteridophyta) are not monophyletic.

[23] †Horneophytaceae †Cooksoniaceae †Aglaophyton †Rhyniopsida †Catenalis †Aberlemnia †Hsuaceae †Renaliaceae †Adoketophyton †?Barinophytopsida †Zosterophyllopsida †Hicklingia †Gumuia †Nothia Lycopodiopsida †Zosterophyllum deciduum †Yunia †Eophyllophyton †Trimerophytopsida †Ibyka †Pauthecophyton †Cladoxylopsida Polypodiopsida †Celatheca †Pertica †Progymnosperms(paraphyletic) Spermatophytes Water and nutrients in the form of inorganic solutes are drawn up from the soil by the roots and transported throughout the plant by the xylem.

Organic compounds such as sucrose produced by photosynthesis in leaves are distributed by the phloem sieve-tube elements.

[citation needed] The phloem, on the other hand, consists of living cells called sieve-tube members.

Plants can adjust their transpiration rate to optimize the balance between water loss and nutrient absorption.

Sugars are produced in the leaves (a source) by photosynthesis and transported to the growing shoots and roots (sinks) for use in growth, cellular respiration or storage.