Angiosperm vs. Gymnosperm

By: BD Editors

Last Updated: April 24, 2019

Angiosperms and gymnosperms are two types of seed plants as shown by the suffix sperm which means “seed” in Latin. Gymnosperms first appeared on Earth during the Carboniferous period about 359-299 million years ago and they dominated the landscape by the Mesozoic era 251-65.5 million years ago. By the end of the Mesozoic era, angiosperm plants had taken over and they remain the most successful terrestrial plant group. There are about 1,000 species of gymnosperms classified into 4 divisions: Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta. Plants in the Gnetophyta division are most closely related to angiosperms because they have xylem tissue. The Latin prefix gymnos means “naked” and refers to the seeds of the plants which are not enclosed in a fruit like angiosperm seeds are. Angiosperms number over 260,000 species, second only to insects in terms of their diversity. The species are divided into monocots that have a single cotyledon and dicots (also called eudicots or true dicots) with two cotyledons. Monocots and dicots are identified, among other things by looking at their leaves. Monocots have parallel veins in their leaves while the veins in dicot leaves are branched. Their root systems are also different. Monocots have a network root system and dicots have a main taproot with lateral roots coming out of it. Comparison Chart Angiosperms Gymnosperms Seeds Yes, usually inside an ovary (fruit) Yes, not enclosed, usually found on cones, scales, or leaves Leaves Flat Needle-like or scale-like Has Flowers? Yes No Reproductive System In the flowers, unisexual or bisexual Unisexual system in the cones Type of Wood Hardwood Softwood Uses Food, medicines, clothing Lumber, paper Ploidy (number of sets of chromosomes) Triploid Haploid Perennial? No Yes Life Cycle Seasonal, plant dies in autumn Evergreen Pollination Mechanism Mostly by animals Mostly by the wind The image above compares the reproductive systems of angiosperms and gymnosperms. References Angiosperms vs. Gymnosperms. (n.d.). In Diffen.com. Retrieved from https://www.diffen.com/difference/Angiosperms_vs_Gymnosperms OpenStax College. (2017). Concepts of Biology. Houston, TX. Open Stax CNX. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/contents/b3c1e1d2-839c-42b0-a314-e119a8aafbdd@9.39

There are about 1,000 species of gymnosperms classified into 4 divisions: Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta. Plants in the Gnetophyta division are most closely related to angiosperms because they have xylem tissue. The Latin prefix gymnos means “naked” and refers to the seeds of the plants which are not enclosed in a fruit like angiosperm seeds are.

Angiosperms number over 260,000 species, second only to insects in terms of their diversity. The species are divided into monocots that have a single cotyledon and dicots (also called eudicots or true dicots) with two cotyledons. Monocots and dicots are identified, among other things by looking at their leaves. Monocots have parallel veins in their leaves while the veins in dicot leaves are branched. Their root systems are also different. Monocots have a network root system and dicots have a main taproot with lateral roots coming out of it.

Comparison Chart

 Angiosperms Gymnosperms   Seeds Yes, usually inside an ovary (fruit) Yes, not enclosed, usually found on cones, scales, or leaves   Leaves Flat Needle-like or scale-like   Has Flowers? Yes No   Reproductive System In the flowers, unisexual or bisexual Unisexual system in the cones   Type of Wood Hardwood Softwood   Uses Food, medicines, clothing Lumber, paper   Ploidy (number of sets of chromosomes) Triploid Haploid   Perennial? No Yes   Life Cycle Seasonal, plant dies in autumn Evergreen   Pollination Mechanism Mostly by animals Mostly by the wind

The image above compares the reproductive systems of angiosperms and gymnosperms.

References