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Gymnosperms, such as cone-bearing conifers, do not form true flowers. Instead they produce seeds on exposed parts of "flower -like" structures called strobili (thus the name : gymnos means naked; sperma refers to seed). Gymnosperms always produce separate male (pollen-producing) and female (egg-producing) strobili. Both are produced on the same shoot.The reproductive cycle culminates in the dispersal of seed from the female strobili. The structure of the mature female strobilus varies considerably, even among the conifers. Conifers are woody trees and shrubs that have nedlelike or scalelike leaves that bear seeds expossed on cone scales. conifers shed leaves all year long yet stay leafy. conifers are most abundant in the northern hemisphere, the tallest as well as the oldest. conifers dominate many land habitats during the mesozoic, but there slow reproductive pace put them at a competitive edge when the flowering plants began there adaptive radiation. |
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