238 Plants and their Ways in South Africa 



Division IV. — Gymnosperms. 



Gymnosperms are woody plants storing resin or mucilage. 

 The flowers are diclinous (male and female separate), and the 

 plants are either monoecious or dioecious.^ 



Three orders of Gymnosperms are found in South Africa — 

 Cycadaceae, Coniferae, and Gnetaceae. These orders in- 

 clude five genera. 



Cycadace^. — The two South African genera of this order 

 are often mistaken for tree ferns or palms, until the large cones 

 a foot or more long are seen among the crowns of pinnate 

 leaves. Spirals of rigid scale leaves alternating with foliage 

 leaves also serve to distinguish Cycadacese. 



Fig. 'zx'z.— Encephalartos villosus^^imm, (Photograph by P. S. Laney, Esq.) 



Encephalartos. — Stem cylindrical ; pinn» of the leaves without 

 midrib, finely parallel veined. 



Santgeria. — Stem short, swollen ; pinnae midribbed with forked veins. 



^ Staminate and pistillate flowers on the same plant or on different 

 plants. 



