Gymnosperm Gymnosperm The gymnosperms , also known as Acrogymnospermae, are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, "Ginkgo", and gnetophytes. The term "gymnosperm" comes from the Greek composite word "γυμνόσπερμος" (γυμνός gymnos, "naked" and σπέρμα sperma, "seed"), meaning "naked seeds". The name is based on the unenclosed condition of their seeds (called ovules in their unfertilized state). The non-encased condition of their seeds stands in contrast to the seeds and ovules of flowering plants (angiosperms), which are enclosed within an ovary. Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface of scales or leaves, which are often modified to form cones,
Evolutionary history of plants and radially symmetrical, is an integumented megasporangium surrounded by a cupule. The megasporangium bears an unopened distal extension protruding above the multilobed integument. It is suspected that the extension was involved in anemophilous pollination. "Runcaria" sheds new light on the sequence of character acquisition leading to the seed. "Runcaria" has all of the qualities of seed plants except for a solid seed coat and a system to guide the pollen to the ovule. The first spermatophytes (literally: "seed plants") – that is, the first plants to bear true seeds – are called pteridosperms: literally, "seed ferns", so called because their