Gymnospermae

ORMU2066

II. General Characteristics of

Gymnosperms and Description of
Organs

Prof. Dr. Nesibe KÖSE, Asst. Prof. Dr. H. Tuncay GÜNER, Res. Asst. Ferdi AKARSU
I.U.C. Forest Faculty, Department of Forest Botany
 Characteristics of Gymnosperms
1. Carpels are not differentiated into ovary, style and stigma. So that, seeds are
not formed inside a fruit. They are naked. Bare-naked.
2. Endosperm that stores food and will nourish the embryo is formed before
fertilization.
3. The embryo sac contained the Archegonium.
4. Pollination is supplied by wind.
5. Flowers are unisexual. Plant can be host only
one type flower (dioecious) or both
(monoecious).).
6. All living examples are tree or shrub.
7. Xylem has very simple structure. They comprise
of mainly tracheids and very small amount of
ray and parenchym cells.

Only Genera that in Gnetinae Class, have vessels.

Also, insects are helped to pollination.
 Families of Gymnosperms
Division Class Sub-Class Order Family
Cycadaceae (1 Genus, 93 Taxon)
Cycadophyta Cycadopsida Cycadidae Cycadales
Zamiaceae (9 Genera, 218 Taxon)
Ginkgophyta Ginkgoopsida Ginkgoidae Ginkgoales Ginkgoaceae (1 Genus, 1 Taxon)

Welwitschiales Welwitschiaceae (1 Genus, 2 Taxon)

Gnetophyta Gnetopsida Gnetidae Gnetales Gnetaceae (1 Genus, 48 Taxon)
Ephedrales Ephedraceae (1 Genus, 78 Taxon)
Pinales Pinaceae (11 Genera, 365 Taxon)
Araucariaceae (5 Genera, 41 Taxon)
Araucariales
Podocarpaceae (20 Genera, 199 Taxon)
Pinophyta Pinopsida Pinidae
Sciadopityaceae (1 Genus, 1 Taxon)
Cupressales Cupressaceae (32 Genera, 208 Taxon)
Taxaceae (6 Genera, 39 Taxon)

Magnoliophyta
(Angiosperms)
 Organs of Gymnosperms

• Seed Generative
• Flower Organs
• Bud
• Leaf
• Twig Vegetative
• Trunk Organs
• Bark
• Root
 ROOT
Roots are modified to take water and nutients from soil
and storage food.
Characteristics:
Types:
• Do not have chlorophyll
• Tap root (Pinus)
• Do not have leaf and bud
• Heartshaped root
• Rhizodermis contains no
• Shallow root (Picea)
stomata, and is not covered
by cuticle • Fibrous root (Monocots)
 BARK
• Bark is an identification card of any species.
• Out layer of bark protects living inner layer
cork and cambium.
• Bark refers to all the tissues outside of
vascular cambium.
 TRUNK
• In woody plants, the trunk is a lignified organ
that increases in diameter every year with
cambium activity, carries the main and side
branches and twigs together with the leaves,
flowers, cones or fruits on them, as
permanent as the natural life of trees and
shrubs.
Cambium
Pith
Phloem

Bark
Xylem
 TWIG
It is the youth stage of branches or trunks that form
the habitus of trees and shrubs, bearing vegetative
(leaves), generative (flowers, seeds, cones or fruits)
or both vegetative and generative organs.
• Long twig
• Short twig
• Rejuvenation twig
• Preventive twig (Water twig )
kontrol

• Adventive twig (Wound twig)

• Summer twig
 LEAF
• Needle like
• Scale like
• Fan-shaped leaf
• Etli üçgenimsi batıcı uçlu yaprak > scale diye
geçiyor
• Palm-like leaf
 BUD
• Bud is an embryonic twig whose leaves
are tightly closed on each other and
whose internodes are not elongated.
• It is the youth period of exile.
• It is the wintering form of a young twig.

• Preventive (sleeping) buds

• Adventitious (wound) buds
• normal winter buds
• –Mixed buds
• –Flower and twig buds
 FLOWER
• They are metamorphosed short twig that
serve for sexual reproduction.
• Male and female flowers are different in
gymnosperms.
• If on the same plant; 1C 1E, MONOECIOUS
• If on the different plant; 1C 2E, DIOECIOUS
Araucaria
Ginkgo
Taxus
 SEED
• They are plant parts that are formed by
the fertilization of the egg cell in the
ovule in the axil of the carpel in the
female flowers and that enable the
generative reproduction of seed plants
(Spermatophyte).
Cotyledon: Embryonic seed
leaf.

Ginkgo: 2 (3)
Thuja: 2
Taxodium: 3-9
Taxus: 2
Pinus: 3-18
Picea: 5-10
Abies: 4-7