gymnosperm

Introduction
General features
Major divisions
- Pinophyta
- Cycadophyta
- Ginkgophyta
- Gnetophyta
Evolution and paleobotany
- Earliest gymnosperms
- Appearance of gymnosperm divisions
Annotated classification

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Close-up of a Cupressus sempervirens branch with round brown cones and green needle-like leaves, set against a blurred mountainous background in the Himalaya region.

At a Glance

gymnosperm summary

Quizzes

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap

Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

Related Questions

How are gnetophytes different from most gymnosperms in their xylem?
How can the number of needles in a pine fascicle help identify a pine species?
How do cones help gymnosperms reproduce?
How do growth rings form in conifer wood?
How do gymnosperm embryos receive food as they develop inside seeds?
How do gymnosperm seeds differ from angiosperm seeds?
How do gymnosperms use xylem and phloem to move materials through the plant?
How do long shoots and spur shoots differ on a ginkgo tree?
How do tracheids transport water through conifer wood?
How does Welwitschia mirabilis survive in the deserts of southwestern Africa?
How does wind pollination work in gymnosperms?
How long can reproduction take in pine trees from pollination to seed maturity?
How many cotyledons can a conifer embryo have?
How old are the earliest known cycad fossils?
What are bordered pits in conifer tracheids?
What features make Ginkgo biloba easy to recognize?
What makes Welwitschia mirabilis different in appearance from other gymnosperms?
Where are gymnosperm seeds usually found on a cone?
Where do cycads grow naturally?
Where was Ginkgo biloba formerly restricted in the wild?
Which four living plant divisions are classified as gymnosperms?
Which gymnosperm group contains climbing vines?
Which gymnosperms have flagellated sperm?
Which three genera belong to the gnetophytes?
Why are conifers important sources of lumber, pulpwood, turpentine, and resins?
Why are cycads often described as palmlike plants?
Why are female ginkgo trees known for a foul smell?
Why are gymnosperm seeds described as naked?
Why are most conifers evergreen?
Why are stomata on many conifer leaves located below the leaf surface?
Why can several cycad embryos begin developing in a single seed?
Why did gymnosperms dominate many landscapes during the Mesozoic Era?
Why do conifer forests cover large areas of northern temperate lands?
Why do gymnosperm seeds form without fruits?
Why do many conifer leaves have a thick cuticle?
Why is Ginkgo biloba considered a living relic?
Why is Ginkgo biloba widely planted in cities and gardens?
Why is gymnosperm wood often called softwood?
Why were gnetophytes once thought to be closely related to flowering plants?
What is the oyamel fir?
Why are oyamel fir forests important for monarch butterflies?
What threats do oyamel forests face?

Science Plants Conifers & Other Gymnosperms

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External Websites

National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Recent advances on phylogenomics of gymnosperms and a new classification
UEN Digital Press with Pressbooks - Biology and the Citizen - Seed Plants: Gymnosperms
University of California - Department of Botany and Plant Sciences - Gymnosperms: Conifers and allies
Khan Academy - Gymnosperms (video)
The Ohio State University - Plantfacts - Gymnosperms
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University - Beyond pine Cones: An Introduction to Gymnosperms

Pinyon pine 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

plant

Also known as: Gymnospermae

Written by

T. Delevoryas

Professor of Botany, University of Texas at Austin. Author of Morphology and Evolution of Fossil Plants and others.

T. Delevoryas

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

gymnosperm, any vascular plant that reproduces by means of an exposed seed, or ovule—unlike angiosperms, or flowering plants, whose seeds are enclosed by mature ovaries, or fruits. The seeds of many gymnosperms (literally, “naked seeds”) are borne in cones and are not visible until maturity. Taxonomists recognize four distinct divisions of extant (nonextinct) gymnospermous plants—Pinophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta—with 88 genera and more than 1,000 species distributed throughout the world. Gymnosperms were dominant in the...

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