Vascular Plants With Seeds
Divided into two Groups
The Two Groups
 Gymnosperms
(with 3 phyla)
 Angiosperms (with 1 phylum)
Phylum Coniferophyta
Often called gymnosperms
Gymnosperms: the seed plants that do
not first produce a flower before the
seed
Means “naked seed” – produce seeds
not covered by the walls of an ovary
Do not form flowers or fruits
Produce cones or cone-like structures
Conifer refers to the cones
All conifers produce seeds in cones
Two Types of Cones
Staminate and Ovulate
Staminate Cones
The pollen-producing
cones
Small, green, and
inconspicuous near
the tips of the
branches
Shed after the pollen
season is over
Ovulate Cones
The seed-producing cones
Larger than staminate cones
Size range: 1-2 inches
Woody structures
consisting of layers of
cone scales
Seeds develop between the
cone scales
Seeds are generally winged
Pine Tree Life Cycle
• Tree produces cones
• Pollen is carried by the wind from staminate cones to
ovulate cones
• Pollen lands on the open scales of the ovulate cone
• The scales then close tightly (in many pines the cone
begins to point downward
• Ovum is fertilized
• When the seeds are mature and environmental
conditions are right, scales open and release seeds
Noteworthy Conifers: Douglas-fir
The Douglas-fir, named
for David Douglas, a 19th
century Scottish botanist.
Great strength, stiffness
and moderate weight
make it an invaluable
timber product said to be
stronger than concrete.
Averaging up to 200' in
height and six feet in
diameter, heights of 325'
and diameters of 15' can
also be found.
Provide more than ¼ of the timber cut in the U.S.
Noteworthy Conifers: Sequoia
In central California
Some are among the
oldest living things on
earth (2,000 – 3,500
years)
273 feet tall
84 feet circumference
Bark 1 foot thick
Noteworthy Conifers:
Bristlecone Pines
The oldest living bristlecones are
found in the White Mountains of
California. The oldest known
living tree, discovered in 1957, is
a 4,723-year-old patriarch named
Methuselah.
The oldest bristlecones are more
than 4,000 years old. Egypt’s
pyramids were under
construction when these trees
were seedlings!
Noteworthy Conifers:
Coast Redwood
Redwood trees are the tallest living things on earth.
Some grow more than 350 feet tall.