BOT 3 Laboratory Hand-out

Exercise 8. Seed-bearing Vascular Plants: Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms
General characteristics:
- have megaphylls
- no vessel elements
- gametophyte is dependent to sporophyte
- produce heterospores in cones or strobili
- endosporic gametophyte germination
- exhibit single fertilization only
- bear naked or exposed seeds that protect the embryo and contain stored food

Criteria Cycadophyta Ginkgophyta Pinophyta Gnetophyta

Representative
Cycas circinalis Ginkgo biloba Pinus kesiya Gnetum gnemon
species
Arborescent;
Habit Tree Tree; sympodial Arborescent
Monopodial
Type of
Tracheids and
tracheary tracheids tracheids tracheids
vessel elements
element
Type of stele Eustele Eustele Eustele Eustele
Megaphylls; Megaphylls;
Megaphylls;
pinnately Long and short Megaphylls; ovate;
Type of leaves needle-like
compound; shoots reticulated venation
(fascicles)
circinate vernation
Dioecious; Dioecious; Monoecious; Monoecious;
- Staminate - Staminate - Staminate cones - Staminate
Reproductive strobilus strobilus (microsporophyll) strobilus
structure (microsporophylls) - Ovulate strobilus - Ovulate cones - Ovulate strobilus
- Female: cluster of with 2 ovules in (ovuliferous scale)
megasporophylls sporangiophore
Motile sperm Present Present Absent Absent
Agathis, Thuja,
Ephedra,
Other species Cycas revoluta -- Araucaria,
Welwitschia
Juniperus

Page 1
BOT 3 Laboratory Hand-out

Habit (A), male strobilus (B) and megasporophyll (C) of Cycas.

Herbarium specimen of Ginkgo biloba.

Stem cross-section of Pinus (A) and maceration of its wood showing tracheids (B).

Page 2
BOT 3 Laboratory Hand-out

Leaf cross-section of Pinus.

Ovulate cone (A) and its L-section (B), staminate cone (C) and its L-section (D)
and winged spores (E) of Pinus.

Page 3
BOT 3 Laboratory Hand-out

Stem cross-section (A) and wood maceration showing vessel element (B, pointer) of Gnetum.

Page 4
BOT 3 Laboratory Hand-out

Shoot of Gnetum

Male (A) and female (B) strobili of Gnetum and L-section of its seed (C).

Page 5