GYMNOSPERMS AND ITS CLASSIFICATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DEFINITION

• CHARACTERISTICS

• LIFE CYCLE

• CLASSIFICATIONS

• EXAMPLES

• KEY POINTS

PRESENTED BY –

• RACHANA KULKARNI
• NAGALAKSHMI.C.RAIKAR
• HARSHITA KESHWA MURTI
• SURANGAMA
WHAT ARE GYMNOSPERMS?

• The word “Gymnosperm” comes from the Greek words “gynos”(naked) and
“sperma”(seed), hence known as “Naked seeds.” Gymnosperms are the seed-
producing plants, but unlike angiosperms, they produce seeds without fruits. These
plants develop on the surface of scales or leaves, or at the end of stalks forming a
cone-like structure.

• Gymnosperms belong to kingdom ‘Plantae‘ and sub-kingdom ‘Embryophyta’. The fossil

evidence suggested that they originated during the Paleozoic era, about 390 million years
ago.

• Basically, gymnosperms are plants in which the ovules are not enclosed within the
ovary wall, unlike the angiosperms. It remains exposed before and after fertilisation
and before developing into a seed. The stem of gymnosperms can be branched or
unbranched. The thick cuticle, needle-like leaves, and sunken stomata reduce the rate of
water loss in these plants.

• The family of gymnosperms consist of conifers, the cycads, the gnetophytes and the
species of Gynkgophyta division and Ginkgo biloba.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GYMNOSPERMS
• They do not produce flowers.

• Seeds are not formed inside a fruit. They are naked.

• They are found in colder regions where snowfall occurs.

• They develop needle-like leaves.

• They are perennial or woody, forming trees or bushes.

• They are not differentiated into ovary, style and stigma.

• Since stigma is absent, they are pollinated directly by the wind.

• The male gametophytes produce two gametes, but only one of them is functional.

• They form cones with reproductive structures.

• The seeds contain endosperm that stores food for the growth and development of the
plant.

• These plants have vascular tissues which help in the transportation of nutrients and water.

• Xylem does not have vessels and the phloem has no companion cells and sieve tubes.
Gymnosperms Life Cycle
3)Pollen cones release
pollen(male gametophyte

4)Pollen lands on seed

cone
Gymnosperms Life Cycle

• The life cycle of gymnosperms is both haploid and diploid, i.e., they reproduce through the
alternation of generations.They have a sporophyte-dominant cycle.
• The gametophyte phase is relatively short. The reproductive organs are usually cones.
• Male Cones– These have microsporophylls that contain microsporangia. Microsporangium
produces haploid microspores. A few microspores develop into male gametes called pollen
grains, and the rest degenerate.
• Female Cones– The megasporophylls cluster together to form female cones. They possess
ovules containing megasporangium. It produces haploid megaspores and a megaspore
mother cell.
• The pollen reaches the egg through wind or any other pollinating agent, and the pollen grain
releases a sperm. The nuclei of male and female gametophytes fuse together to form a
zygote. This is known as fertilisation.
• The seed appears as scales which can be seen on the cones of the gymnosperm.
Classification of Gymnosperms
• Gymnosperms are classified into four types as given below –

1. CYCADOPHYTA
• Cycads are dioecious (meaning: individual plants are either all male or female). Cycads are
seed-bearing plants where the majority of the members are now extinct. They had flourished
during the Jurassic and late Triassic era. Nowadays, the plants are considered as relics from
the past.
• These plants usually have large compound leaves, thick trunks and small leaflets which are
attached to a single central stem. They range in height anywhere between a few centimetres
to several meters.
• Cycads are usually found in the tropics and subtropics. Some members have adapted to dry
arid conditions and some also have adapted to oxygen-poor swampy environments.
 2. GINKGOPHYTA
● Ginkgophyta is a plant division of non-flowering
trees.

● The generas are:
1. Ginkgophytes
2. Ginkgoites (EXTINCT)
3. Baiera (EXTINCT)

● Ginkgo has only one member, Ginkgo biloba,

commonly called the ginkgo tree.

● Fossils indicate that at least 16 genera of

Ginkgophyta were known in older mesozoic
times (252-66 million years ago) but became
Ginkgo biloba Eocene,
extinct over the years. McAbee, B.C., Canada

● The ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is a living fossil. The

extant Gingko shows fair similarities to all the
fossil records found from the Triassic and
Jurassic periods.

● Ginkgo is an endangered species, as its natural

populations have been reduced to a small Fossil Ginkgo huttonii
portion of the mountains of southeastern China. leaves from the Jurassic
of England
Characteristics
Characteristics of ginkgophyta can be extracted from the
one living species Ginkgo biloba, which are as follows:

● SIZE: Ginkgos are large trees, normally reaching a

height of 20–35 m (66–115 ft) with some specimens
in China being over 50 m (165 ft).

● SHAPE: The tree has an angular crown and long,

somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep
rooted. Young trees are often tall and slender, and
sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as
the tree ages.

● ENDURANCE: resistant to wind and snow damage.

A combination of resistance to disease, insect-
resistant wood, and the ability to form aerial roots
and sprouts makes ginkgos durable.
Characteristics
• A hardy deciduous tree, Ginkgo resembles an
angiosperm in that the woody stem is frequently and
irregularly branched and bears broad leaves, which
are fan-shaped with dichotomously branched veins.

• LEAF:
 Fan-shaped leaves which are doubly lobed
 Vascular system consists of both xylem and phloem
 Leaves tend to grow in clusters
 Leaves bear stomata (cell structures involved in the
exchange of carbon dioxide and water) only on the
lower surface

• TRUNK:
 The trunk diameters of the older specimens
of Ginkgo may become large as a result of the
vascular cambium gives rise to secondary phloem
and xylem for the conduction of water and dissolved
minerals.
 While flowering plants have a series of tube-like
cells to conduct water, Ginkgos have connecting
cells with tiny perforations, these are valves that
close when water is in short supply so that turgidity
is preserved.
Reproduction and survival
● Ginkgos are dioecious (having the male and
female reproductive organs in separate individuals).
● The male cones grow from the shoot tip in clusters
and release pollen. The female ovules (cones) Cone on female
appear in twos on the end of a stalk and do not look Ginkgo
much like the cones of conifers. Each ovule has a
Ginkgo seedling
drop of fluid, the pollination drop, that traps pollen to
enable fertilisation.
● Once fertilized the ovule grows into something
Ovules
resembling a fruit containing the seed.
● Ginkgo seeds contain two cotyledons (seed leaves),
but these never expand or emerge, instead they
remain embedded in the seed providing nutrition for
the seedling. The first leaves to appear above
ground are true leaves with the distinctive Ginkgo
shape, this is called hypogeal germination.
● Ginkgos have been known to change sex, so that Male Female
the male trees start producing fruits and seeds. This
is an effective way of propagating when there are
no females around.

Fruit and seeds

Advantages & Applications

• They have many applications ranging

from medicine to cooking.

• Ginkgo leaves are ingested as a remedy

for memory-related disorders like
Alzheimer’s as well as effects in the
treatment of asthma, toxic shock
syndrome.

• Ginkgo trees are also very resistant to

pollution, and they are resilient against
diseases and insect infestations.

• They are so resilient that after the

nuclear bombs fell on Hiroshima, six
Ginkgo trees were the only living things
to survive within a kilometre or two of the
blast radius.
3. GNETOPHYTA

• Just like any other member of gymnosperms,

Gnetophytes are also relics from the past.
Today, only three members of this genus exist.

• They consists of some 70 species across the Gnetum

Distribution
three relict genera:  Ephedra
separated by genus
1. Gnetum (family Gnetaceae),
Welwitschia
2. Welwitschia (family Welwitschiaceae),
3. Ephedra Gnetum and Ephedra

• Gnetophytes usually consist of tropical plants,

trees, and shrubs. They are characterised by
flowery leaves that have a soft coating. This
coating reveals an ancestral connection with
the angiosperms.(plants that produce flowers
and bear their seeds in fruits)

• Gnetophytes differ from other members of this

class as they possess vessel elements in their
xylem.(A vessel element is one of the cell
types found in xylem, the water conducting
tissue of plants.)
Classifications

Gnetum
Species are mostly woody vines in tropical forests,
though the best-known member of this
group, Gnetum gnemon, is a tree native to
western Malesia (Asia).

Welwitschia
The one remaining species
of Welwitschia, Welwitschia mirabilis, native only
to the dry deserts of Namibia and Angola (Southern
African), is a ground-hugging species with only two
large strap-like leaves that grow continuously from
the base throughout the plant’s life. 

Ephedra
Species, known as "jointfirs" in the United States,
have long slender branches which bear tiny scale-
like leaves at their nodes. Used as a stimulant,
but ephedrine is a controlled substance today in
many places because of the risk of harmful or even
fatal overdosing.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF GYMNOSPERMS
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF GYMNOSPERMS
1.Food Value:

Gymnosperms are a good source of food. The seeds of these flowering plants are widely used
as edible varieties, which are used to produce various food products. These types of plants
include ginkgo, pinus, cycas, etc. It serves as a staple food for low-income people or indigenous
peoples. In some parts of America and near regions, the leaves of these species are immersed
and eaten as green leafy vegetables. Various non-flowering plants are used in the production of
wine and other food products.
2.Source of oil:

•The oil extracted from the seeds of C. revoluta, macrozamia riedlei, pinus cembra, and
Cephalotaxus drupacea is used as edible oils.
•Red cedar oil, extracted from the heart skin of Juniperus virginiana, is used to clean very small
objects and oil-soaked lenses.
•Oils extracted from Cyptomeria, Cedrus deodara, Cupressus, japonica, and serum-peruvians
are used in perfume preparation.

3.Timber value:

Gymnosperm plants are a good source of timber. Hence, these plants are widely used in the
making of furniture and for other construction purposes. The woods of these plants are softwood
and hence, their durability is long-lasting. The largest timber-producing tree in the world is
Agathis australis. 
4.Medicinal value :

Gymnosperms are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for various medicines, which are
used successfully to treat infectious diseases and other allergies including colds, coughs,
asthma, respiratory congestion, etc. Taxus, a type of coniferous tree known as drug taxol. This is
an anti-cancer drug, which is used to treat various cancers and is made from the bark of the
Taxus tree. Different kinds of cycas plants are used in the treatment of many diseases and in the
production of various products related to hair care, including shampoo, oil, lotion, etc.

5.Industrial Value :

There are a number of uses of gymnosperm plant for the industrial purpose -
•Cycas gum is used as an adjuvant, a remedy for snake bites, and the use of dangerous sores.
•Tannins extracted from the bark of Araucaria, Pinus, Sequoia, etc. used in the leather industry.
•Turpentine is derived from abies balsamea and is used as a balm in organic preparation.
•Fossil resin is found in Pinus succinifera. The wood of pinus is used for doors, posts, beams,
wagon flooring, etc.
•Plywood prepared from podocarpus.
•Papers such as newsletters, stationery items, and print are prepared from the wood pulp of
Pinus, Picea, Abeis, Gnetum, etc.
•Cycad leaves are used to fix baskets, mats, hats, brooms, etc.
•Fibers found in the leaves of cycas and macrozamia are used to fix pillows and to make
mattresses.
6.Ornamental value :

Several species of Cycas are widely cultivated as garden plants and for decorative purposes.
Ginkgo, the ‘virgin’ tree is planted as an ornamental plant in Chinese and Japanese temples and
is worshiped. Thuja plicata, Biota Orientalis, and Juniperus species are cultivated as ornamental
trees throughout India especially in aviation. Pinus and Aurocaria species are also cultivated as
ornamental plants in northern India. Other varieties of Gnetum and Ephedra are also cultivated
as ornaments.
Reference
• https://byjus.com/biology/ginkgophyta-living-or-extinct/
• https://www.britannica.com/plant/ginkgophyte
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo
• https://tentativeplantscientist.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/plant-divisions-ginkgophyt
a/
• https://tentativeplantscientist.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/plant-divisions-ginkgophyt
a/
• https://alchetron.com/Gnetophyta
• https://study.com/academy/answer/what-is-the-life-cycle-of-gnetophyta.html
• https://www.britannica.com/plant/gnetophyte/Classification
• https://collegedunia.com/exams/economic-importance-of-gymnosperms-industrial-i
mportance-biology-articleid-2468#h