Tracheophyte, any of the vascular plants, members of the division, or phylum, Tracheophyta, numbering some 260,000 species and including all of the conspicuous flora of the Earth today. Tracheophyte, meaning “tracheid plant,” refers to the water-conducting cells, called tracheids, that show spiral bands like those in the walls of the tracheae, or air tubes, of insects. Tracheophytes are believed to have originated from green algae. Organisms in this phylum are characterized by the presence of vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) for structural support and for long-distance movement of water and nutrients throughout the plant body.