GymnospermThe gymnosperms ( ; from Ancient Greekγυμνός, gymnós'naked' and σπέρμα, spérma'seed', thus 'naked seed') are a group of woody, perennialseed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include conifers, cycads, ginkgos, and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The name is based on the unenclosed condition of their seeds (called ovules in their unfertilized state).
ConiferGroup of seed plantsConifers () are a group of vascular plants and a subset of gymnosperms. They are woody trees and shrubs, mostly evergreen with a regular branching pattern, reproducing with male and female cones, usually on the same tree. They are wind-pollinated and the seeds are usually dispersed by the wind. Taxonomically, they make up the divisionPinophyta, also known as Coniferae. All extant conifers, except for the gnetophytes, are perennials with secondary growth.
Ephedra (plant)Ephedra is a genus of gymnospermshrubs. As of July 2025, 74 species, and two hybrids, are accepted. The species of Ephedra are widespread in many arid regions of the world, ranging across southwestern North America, southern Europe, northern Africa, southwest and central Asia, northern China, and western South America.
WelwitschiaWelwitschia is a monotypic genus of gnetophytes containing only the species Welwitschia mirabilis. It is named after the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, who documented the plant in the 1850s. In common use, it is sometimes referred to as the tree tumbo or onyanga. It is native to Angola and Namibia, where it grows in the extreme conditions of the Namib desert, tolerating high heat and low precipitation.
GnetumGnetum is a genus of gymnosperms, the sole genus in the family Gnetaceae within the Gnetidae. They are tropicalevergreentrees, shrubs and lianas. Unlike other gymnosperms, they possess vessel elements in the xylem. Some species have been proposed to have been the first plants to be insect-pollinated as their fossils occur in association with extinct pollinating scorpionflies.
Sister groupIn phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
PinaceaeThe Pinaceae, or pine family, is a large family of conifers, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines, and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly known as Coniferales. Pinaceae have distinctive cones with woody scales bearing typically two ovules, and are supported as monophyletic by both morphological trait and genetic analysis.
PinidaePinidae is a subclass of Equisetopsida in the sense used by Mark W. Chase and James L. Reveal in their 2009 article "A phylogenetic classification of the land plants to accompany APG III." This subclass comprises the conifers. The Pinidae subclass is equivalent to the division Pinophyta and class Pinopsida of previous treatments. There are over 600 species of Pinidae all over the world.
EphedraceaeEphedraceae is a family of gymnosperms belonging to Gnetidae, it contains only a single extant genus, Ephedra, as well as a number of extinct genera from the Early Cretaceous.
CupressidaeCupressidae, also known as cupressophytes and conifers II (as opposed to conifers I) is a proposed subclass of conifers comprising the orders of Araucariales and Cupressales. It was originally erected by and contained just Cupressales. In 2022, a study expanded it to include Araucariales and Cupressales.
Class (taxonomy)In biological taxonomy, class (Latin: classis) is a taxonomic rank, as well as a taxonomic unit (i.e., a taxon) in that rank. It is a group of related taxonomic orders. Other well-known ranks in descending order of size are domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class ranking between phylum and order.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.