Gymnosperm the genome of "Picea abies" in 2013. 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,
Passum sub iugum Passum sub iugum The passum sub iugum ("pass under the yoke") was a practice in ancient Italy where defeated enemies were made to pass beneath a yoke constructed of spears either to humiliate them or to remove blood guilt. The practice of "passum sub iugum" was a ritual humiliation of enemies practiced by the people of ancient Italy. Both the Romans and the Samnites forced the captives of their defeated enemies to pass under a yoke formed from spears. The practice is said to have originated as a form of expiation. According to Livy, Horatius killed his own sister because