Biol. 302 Botany spring 2007
Velma Matthew; TA – Kathy Boothby
Lab 7. Gymnosperms (Naked seed plants)
1. Define the following terms.
-pollen tube
-tube cell
-generative cell
-cotyledon
-stoma
-ovule
-micropile
-integument
-tracheid
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Cycadophyta
Cycads are a small group of gymnosperms found mainly in tropical and subtropical forests. Male
and female cycad cones are borne on separate plants. Present day cycads are descendents of a cycad
flora that was quite extensive during the age of giant dinosaurs.
2. Look & draw living specimens of cycads including a frond and a staminate cone.

In general, cycads resemble ferns, having large complex leaves that cluster at the top of a
thickened, unbranched stem.
a) Morphologically, how would you be able to distinguish between cycads and
ferns?
b) There is only one cycad native to the United States. What is its scientific name? (Genus species)
_____________ ______________. And where is it found?
______________________________________________________.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Ginkophyta (Maidenhair tree)
Class: Ginkgoopsida
Order: Ginkgoales
Family: Ginkgoaceae
Genus: Ginkgo
Species: Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba is the only living species in the phylum Ginkgophyta, which appears to have a
fossil history of 150 million years. It was once a major forest species in the northern hemisphere, but
went nearly extinct. It was found by western explorers being cultivated in Chinese and Japanese temple
grounds.
Gingko is easy to identify: in the summer it has bright green fan shaped leaves (more-or-less
lobed), which are deciduous. In the winter it can be identified because it is the only deciduous tree in
the area that has a single main trunk with rings of branches like a conifer.
3. Look at & draw pressed macrospecimens of Ginkgo biloba leaves. From the book, draw the
paired fleshy ovules.
a) What does deciduous mean? ______________________________________.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Coniferophyta (Conifers)
Family: Pinaceae
Genera: Pinus, Abies, Picea, Tsuga, Pseudotsuga
4. Look at & draw fresh specimens of Pinus ponderosa, Pinus contorta, Pinus monticola, Tsuga
heterophylla, Pseudotsuga mensiezii, Picea pungens, and Abies grandis including the needles
and cones.
 Label each with scientific name, common name, and list the distinguishing morphological traits of
each species. If you aren’t sure of the distinguishing characters, ask! While you’re looking, be
sure to check out variations in different species of pine and fir & check out the huge Colter pine
(Pinus coulteri), sugar pine (P. lambertiana) cones.
a) How can you distinguish Pinus ponderosa, Pinus contorta, and Pinus monticola?
5. Look at & draw prepared slides of Pinus
a. Mature pollen – on 40x draw & label, wings, generative cell, & tube cell.
b. Fertilization – on 4x draw & label, micropile, integument, zygotes, & nuclei.
c. Two needle cross section – on 10x draw & label, epidermis, endodermis, mesophyll, stoma, resin
duct, transfusion tissue, vascular bundle,xylem, & phloem.
d. From the text! – (The life cycle of a pine) draw the internal structure of a pine seed (at the bottom
of the page in the text), label all structures, and identify the nuclear state of the different tissues.
e. Wood combo. sec. – on 10 or 40x draw and label, tracheids, tracheid wall, & pits.
f.
How is pollen distributed in the phylum Coniferophyta?
g. What is the function of the wings on the pollen grain?
h. Sexual reproduction in cycads and gingkos differ in what way from conifers?
i.
What is the evolutionary significance of the pollen tube?
j.
What function do cotyledons play?