alternation of generations in mosses/ferns (haploid/diploid)

[Twila]

Im being told that gametophyte;haploid is the largest stage in of alternation of generations in mosses, and ferns its sporophyte; diploid,

Im pretty thoroughly confused.. I thought they were basicly the same plant because they reproduce through spores and they are vascular,

I feel bad because of the fact that next year I'll be going to college to be a floral designer/horticulturist and I want to crossbreed different flowers...

[MrMistery]

every plant has the gametophyte, the haploid stage that gives rise to gametes, and the sporophyte, the diploid stage that gives rise to spores.
In mosses, the actual plant that you see is the gamethophyte, whereas the sporophyte is just the thing that looks somewhat like a small flower, is a parasite on the gamethophyte and is basically an urn full of spores.

In ferns, the gametophyte is reduced a lump of cells called the prothallus, which can either be green and thus autotrophic or saprophytic in the soil. the actual big plant is the sporophyte.

In higher plants (gimnosperms and above) the gametophyte is reduced to just a few cells inside the seed (in the male seed of angiosperms the prothallus is just one cell if i remember correctly).

Does that help?

[Twila]

kind of.... this site crashed on me for a bit there thanks.