Morphology and Anatomy of Gymnosperms
May 13, 2024 | by Bloom Code Studio
- These are usually medium to large trees with some shrub species present in them.
- One of the tallest tree species of a gymnosperm is Sequoia.
- The plant body is sporophytic, which is differentiated into roots, stem, and leaves.
- Gymnosperm bears tap root. They may have symbiotic relations with blue-green algae for coralloid roots of Cycas or with fungi for mycorrhizal roots in pines.
- The stems are branched(pines) and unbranched (Cycas), usually tail, straight, and covered with scaly bark.
- Two types of leaves are usually seen i.e., foliage leaves and scale leaves.
- Foliage leaves are green, simple, needle-shaped (pines), and large and pinnately compounds (cycas) help in photosynthesis.
- Scaly leaves are minute and deciduous, which helps in the protection of foliage leaf.
- Leaf lacks lateral veins. Therefore, the process of transfusion of tissue helps in the lateral conduction of food and nutrients.
- Sunken stomata covered with thick cuticles are present in leaves.
- Tissue is well differentiated.
- Vascular tissue present in gymnosperms is xylem and phloem. Xylem consists of tracheids and xylem parenchyma. The gymnosperm is softwood rather than hardwood due to the absence of vessels and wood fiber.
- The phloem of gymnosperm lacks companion cells and have albuminous cell.
- Vascular bundles in steam are conjoint, open type, collateral, endrach, and radial type in the root.
- Fertilization and development take a long time in gymnosperms as it doesn’t produce fruits and flowers, and pine trees can have a lifespan of more than 100 years.
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