Gymnosperm
/JIM-noh-sperm/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
A group of seed plants whose seeds develop on the surface of scales, leaves, or at the end of stalks, rather than being enclosed within a fruit. Gymnosperms include conifers (pines, spruces, firs), cycads, ginkgo, and gnetophytes. Most gymnosperms are evergreen trees with needle-like or scale-like leaves. They are generally wind-pollinated and produce cones rather than flowers. Gymnosperms dominated forests before angiosperms evolved.
Etymology
Greek gymnos (naked, bare) + sperma (seed)
Example
“Pines, spruces, and firs are all gymnosperms — their seeds develop exposed on cone scales rather than inside a fruit.”