Why are gymnosperm seeds described as naked?

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Gymnosperm Pine cone and exposed seeds of the pinyon pine (*Pinus edulis*). Pinyon pines are gymnosperms and bear their edible seeds, known as pine nuts, in protective cones instead of fruit.

Gymnosperm seeds are described as "naked" because they are not enclosed within an ovary or protected by a fruit, which distinguishes them from angiosperms (flowering plants).12

In gymnosperms, the ovules lie exposed on leaflike structures known as megasporophylls. These seeds typically develop on the scales of a cone, or megastrobilus, rather than inside the protective, enfolded structures found in flowering plants. Because they lack this outer covering, the seeds remain exposed throughout their development.132