Subdivision Cycadicae
The fossil history of the Cycads extends back 200 million years. The living species are the most primitive extant seed plants. They possess unbranched trunks and some grow to more than 50 ft. tall. Their seeds are brightly colored, usually red. Cycads, Ginkgo, conifers and gnetes are gymnosperms, i.e, they possess naked seeds which are borne in an exposed position on the sporophyll. The conifers are the most numerous of this Division and do not resemble the other 3 groups at all.
Go to Next Page for an explanation of pollen grain development.
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