GYMNOSPERMS

By : Dr.Drona pokhrel
General characteristics
• Naked seeded vascular plants .
• Gymnosperms are dominant in Mesozoic era.
• First seed bearing plants ,fruits are not formed due lack of ovary .
• Plant body is sporophyte differentiated into true roots ,stem and
leaves .
• Plants are woody perennial (never annual).
• Xerophytic with sunken stomata and thick cuticle
• Leaves are dimorphic :foliage leaves and scaly leaves ,foliage leaves
do not have lateral vein .
Living fossils: Ginkgo ,cycas ,metasequoia
• Tallest gymnosperms :sequoia giganteum.
• Smallest gymnosperms :zamia pygmaea
• Stems are branched ,erect in pinus and unbranched in cycas.
• Root may be normal or symbiotic : eg corolloids root in cycas and
mycorrhiza roots in pinus .

• Xylem is without vessels and phloem is without companion cell and sieve
tube (instead of sieve tube sieve cells are present and instead of
companion cell albuminous cells are present .

• Gymnosperms having vessels are :Genetum ,Ephedra,welwitschia (@GEW)

• Secondary growth is present with distinct annual rings .

Transfusion cells are present :in Cycas and
Pinus for lateral conduction
Male and female cones
Reproductive organs (heterosporous )
• Usually in the forms of cones or strobili. Cones are monosporangiate
and unisexual.
male cone
• Short lived .
• Consists of microsporophylls with microsporangia .
• On abaxial or dorsal surface ,producing microspores or pollen grains .
 Female cone
• Long lived remain attached on plants for several years .
• Usually larger than male cone
• Consists of megasporophylls with naked megasporangium or ovule
present in the ventral or adaxial surface around the cone axis.
• Note : loose female cone is present in cycas.
• Ovules are unitegmic .usually orthotropous but anatropous in pinus
.(@PAN
• Archegonium has an egg and single venter canal cell . Neck canal cells
are completely absent .
Fertilization
• Pollination is anemophilous .
• When sporangia dehiscence forest appear yellow in Pinus : sulphur shower
or sulphur dust .
• These are allergens cause hay fever/rhinitis .
• Fertilization is siphonogamous (with the help of pollen tube )
• Endosperm is haploid which is developed before fertilization :
• Polyembryony is common . Embryo may bear two cotyledons (Cycas)
3-15(in Pinus).
• Gametophyte is highly reduced and totally dependent upon sporophyte .
 Sulphur shower /dust
Hay fever
/allergic rhinitis
Wood of gymnosperms
 Pycnoxylic wood :
• compact and hard ,more tracheids and less amount of parenchyma
• Can be used as timber /wood making useful stuff .
Manoxylic wood :
• Loose and soft .
• More amount of parenchymatous tissue and less tracheids .
• Cannot be economically use .
• Monoxylic wood :wood bear single functional vascular rings .

• Polyoxylic wood :wood bear many functional vascular rings .

• In cycas : manoxylic and polyoxylic

• In pinus :pycnoxylic and monoxylic

Orders of gymnosperms
• Cycadales : palm like tree habits of plants : eg cycas .

• Ginkgoales:all are extinct except Ginkgo biloba ( living fossils )

• Coniferales : dimorphic branch ,fossils as well as living : needle like foliage

leaves in dwarf branch : eg pinus .

• Genetales : close to angiosperms , small and shrubs like .having vessels in

xylem :eg Genetum ,Ephedra,Welwitschia
Cycas (sago palm)
• Common species in Nepal :cycas revoluta and cycas circinalis .
• Considered as living fosslis having primitive characters .
• Sporophyte is differentiated into root ,shoot and leaves
Root of Cycas (dimorphic )
• Normal tap root with lateral branches .
• Symbiotic coralloid roots(with blue green alge) :apogeotrophic
,bluish green,coral like ,dichotomously branched .
(Helps in nitrogen fixation .)
• Anatomically normal roots resembles
Dicot root .

Coralloids roots
Stem of cycas
• Erect .columnar ,unbranched called caudex .
• Anatomically resembles with dicot stem .
• Vascular bundle :conjoint collateral and open
• Leaf traces :four vascular bundle at the base of each leaf trace.two
leaf trace directly come from vascular bundle at the same site of leaf
trace (direct leaf trace ) and two from opposite side of site of leaf
trace (indirect /girdle leaf trace)

• Cortex and pith are full of mucilage

And mucilage canals and sago grains .
Leaf: (internal structure ,vascular bundles are
aaranged in inverted omega shaped )
Leaf
• Dimorphic leaves
Scale leaves
• Covered by brown hairs called ramenta and protect growing part of
stem and young developing foliage leaves .
Foliage leaves
• Green and unipinnate ,photosynthetic .
• Rachis is spiny .contains single mid rib
• Young leaves shows circinate ptyxis.
• Diploxylic xylem .(both centripetal and centrifugal xylem present)
Reproduction in cycas
• By vegetative and sexual methods
Vegetative reproduction
• By bulbils (resting adventitious buds ):produced on the stem in the
axil of scaly leaves .
Sexual reproductions
• Cycas is dioecious and heterosporous .
Male cone /staminate strobilus
• Single at the apex of male stem.

• Male is sympodial .

• Largest in plant kingdom .

• Stalked ,compact ovoid ,consists of number of microsporophyll's .
• Microsporophyll contains groups of microsporangia on dorsal or abaxial
surface and called sori and each having 2-6 microsporangia .
• Each microsporangium contains number of microspore mother cell and
goes meiosis producing large no of haploid microspores.
• Each microspore is oval or top shaped or boat like due to presence of
furrow .
• Mature microspores ( pollen grains ) are released from microsporangium
at 3 cell stage (1 prothalial cell ,1 generative cell ,1 vegetative ( tube ) cell
).
• Pollen grains are partially developed male gametophyte .
• Externally pollen grains are top shaped with 4-5 bands and multicillate .
Female cone /ovulate strobilus
• No female cone(loose cone) in Cycas .
• Megasporophylls (6-12)are loosely arranged on the apex of the stem
of female plant .
• Each megasporophylls resembles foliage leaves ,apical part is leafy
and sterile .
• Elongated middle fertile axis that bears 2-8 ovules (integumented
megasporangium) in lateral rows ventrally .
Ovules /megasporangium
• Ovule is orthotropous and unitegmic ,largest of plant kingdom .
• Central cells of nucellus forms nuclear beak ,which later forms flask
shaped cavity called pollen chamber .
• Inside nucellus a megaspore mother cell is formed which divide
meiotically forming 4 haploid megaspores .
• 3 haploid megaspores towards the micropylar region degenerate and
lowermost becomes functional megaspores .
• Functional megaspores forms female gametophyte containing 2-8
archegonia at anterior end .
• Archegonium is simple and much reduced with venter and neck :
• Mature archegonium consist of 2 neck cells and egg cells without
neck canal cells .
Pollination and fertilization
• Pollination is : Anemophilous
• Pollen grains at 3 celled stage: ( 1 prothalial cell,1 generative cell and
1 vegetative or tube nucelus.)

• At the time of pollination large pollination drop oozes out from

micropylar end by disorganization of nucellar beak.

• Pollen grains falls on the drop and dries up then pollens are drawn
into pollen chamber .
Post pollination development of male
gametophyte
• In side the pollen chamber ,pollen starts to germinate ,tube cell
elongates and pierces the exine forming pollen tube .
• Pollen tube acts as haustorium absorbing nutrients from nucellus .
• Generative cell divides to give two male gametes (antherozoids).
Male gametes:
coiled and multicilliated
largest in plant kingdom.
can be seen by naked eyes .
Fertilization
• Occurs after 5-6 month of pollination.
• Fertilization is siphonogamous and zooidogamy .
• Formation of zygote or oospore (first cell of sporophytic generation )
which divides and gives embryo.
• Mature embryo has plumule and two unequal cotyledons and radicle
.
• Seeds represents three generation :female gametophyte ,female
sporophyte and embryo(future sporophyte)
• Hypogeal germination : in Cycas .
Life cycle of pinus
Plant body (sporophyte )
• Evergreen perennial xerophytic tree .
• Common species in Nepal :pinus roxburghii and pinus wallichiana.
• Plant body is pyramidal shape ,excurrent ,differentiated in root ,stem
and leaf .
Root
• Normal and symbiotic
• Anatomically similar to dicot root ,Resin canals are present.
• Symbiotic : Ectomycorhiza :(Basidiomycetes takes place mainly )
Ectomycorrhiza
Stem of Pinus
• Erect monopodial ,diffusely branched .
Dimorphic branching
Dwarf shoot (branch with limited growth )
• Lacks apical bud .
• Arise in the axil of scale leaves of long shoot.
• Possesses both foliage leaves (needle) and scale leaves.
• Terminal long shoot is dwarf shoot .
Long shoot ( unlimited growth )
• Contains scale leaves (cataphylls) ,Cones,and Dwarf shoots .

Anatomy of stem
• Vascular bundle :conjoint ,collateral and open .
• Companion cell is replaced by :Albuminous cell .
• Resin canals are present .
• Wood of Pinus is :Pycnoxylic and Monoxylic .
• Secondary growth :present .
Leaves of Pinus
Dimorphic :
• long foliage leaves ( needles) borne on :Dwarf shoots .
• Small brown (protective leaves ) borne on :both long and dwarf shoot .

• Needle leaves are arranged in group called spur .Each spur bear 1-5
needles.
• One needle : pinus monophylla
• Two needles :pinus sylvestris
• 3 needles :pinus roxburghii (chir pine),pinus gerardiana(chiloza)
• Five needles: pinus wallichiana (blue pine )
Reproduction in Pinus :
• Pinus is monoecious ,heterosporous and autocious .
• Vegetative reproduction is absent .
Male cone /staminate strobilus
• Male cone is modified dwarf shoot .
• Develops in clusters in the axil of scale leaves on long shoot in place
of dwarf shoot .
• Male cone replace dwarf shoot after 2-3 years .
• Male cone consists of number of microsporophyll's( similar to
stamens ) arranged spirally on central cone axis.
• On the under surface (abaxial ) of each microsporophyll ,there are
two microsporangia .
• Inside microsporangia large no of microspore mother cells are
present which divide meiotically produce microspores (haploid )
• Microspores bear two lateral air bladders or wings (arise from exine
of pollen )
• Pollen grains have 4 celled at the time of pollination (2 prothalial
cell ,1 generative cell ,1 vegetative cell ( tube cell)
• Dispersal take place in hot and dry weather from late march to march
as sulphur shower.
Female cone /ovulate strobilus
• Female cones are modified long shoot ,large and consists of 80-90
megasporophylls .
• Female cone take 3 years to complete mature .
• Female strobilus represents
inflorescence .
• Each megasporophyll is differentiated into two parts :
Bract scale (lower part):
= cover scales ,small dry ,membraneous structure directly attached
with cone axis .
Ovuliferous scales(upper part):
= stout ,woody ,brownish ,borne adaxial side of bract scale .broadened
triangular area : apophysis and narrow basal part .
• Two anatropous and naked ovules are borne on upper side of ovuliferous
scale .
• Ovule is anatropous and unitegmic .
• Single megaspore mother cell divides meiotically to form linear tetrad of
four haploid megaspores .
• Out of four 3 laying on micropylar region degenerate and chalazal one
matures to functional megaspores .
• Functional megaspore give rise to female gametophyte with endosperm.
• At the anterior end 2-5 archegonia develop in second year of female cone
development .
• Each archegonia has 8 neck cells (4+4) and 1 venter canal cell and egg.
Pollination and fertilization
• Pollination is anemophilous .
• Pollen grain pollinates the cone of one year old .
• At the time of pollination exine ruptures and intine produce pollen
tube (siphonogamy )
• Just before fertilization antherdial /generative cell divides and
produce 2 male gametes .
• Male gametes are small .non ciliated .
• Fertilization takes place after year of pollination(10-18month) and
produce zygote /oospore .
• Polyembryony common in Pinus ,at least one embryo survives in the
seed.
• Seeds of Pinus are polycotyledons(3-15) with radicle ,plumule and
winged (ovuliferous scales)
• Germination is Epigeal germination in pinus .
• Edible part of seed of pinus is female gametophyte .
• Female cone develops seed in 3 years .
Economic importance of gymnosperms
Food value :
• sago palm ( starch rich ) obtained from : cycas revoluta
• Chilgoza seeds edible = pinus gerardiana
Medicinal use :
• eg Ephedrine :obtained from Ephedra used in medicine for asthma
,cough .
• Taxol (anticancer drug): obtained from Taxus baccuta
• Canada balsam : mounting agent in preparation of temporary slide
obtained from Abies balsema
• Wood values : Deodar /timber is obtained from Cedrus deodara (most
durable wood among gymnosperms)

• Resins :conifers ( pinus species ) are main source of resins .

• Turpentine oil :is obtained from resin of pinus species

• Essential oil :several essential oils are obtained from Abies ,Juniperus etc
• Cedarwood oil : is obtained from juniperus virgiana
Monkey puzzle tree
Araucaria imbricata