EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -A gymnosperm’s seeds are open to the environment. The word “gymnosperm” means “naked seed” and the seeds are not enclosed inside fruit, but are instead exposed or on the scales of cones, like a pine cone.

Detailed explanation-2: -Gymnosperm seeds are not enclosed in an ovary; rather, they are only partially sheltered by modified leaves called sporophylls. You may recall the term strobilus (plural = strobili) describes a tight arrangement of sporophylls around a central stalk, as seen in pine cones.

Detailed explanation-3: -Gymnosperms are a smaller, more ancient group, and it consists of plants that produce “naked seeds” (seeds that are not protected by a fruit). There are more than 1, 000 species of gymnosperms still found on Earth. The key difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms is how their seeds are developed.

Detailed explanation-4: -Gymnosperm seeds are not enclosed in an ovary; rather, they are exposed on cones or modified leaves.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.