CHAPTER XXXVI. 

 THE GYMNOSPERMS. 



539. General characters. The Gymnosperms make one of 

 the two large classes of the seed plants (Class Gymnosperms) . 

 The name means naked 

 seeds, the seeds being 

 formed on the outside of 

 a modified leaf (sporo- 

 phyll). To the other 

 class belong the Angio- 

 sperms (Class Angio- 

 spermce) . These have 

 their seeds enclosed in 

 a pod-like or sac-like 

 structure formed by the 

 infolding of a modified 

 leaf (sporophyll) . 



540. The cone-bear- 

 ing Gymnosperms. 

 By far the larger num- 

 ber of the Gymnosperms are coniferous (Order Finales or 

 Coniferales including some shrubs) or cone-bearing trees, the 

 fruit being called a cone because of its form. There are more 

 than three hundred species of conifers, and many of these are 



To THE TEACHER. One of the pines or spruces should be studied care- 

 fully if it has not already been done in Part I. The cycads in conserva- 

 tories may be pointed out as fern-like Gymnosperms, and where trees of 

 gingko are growing in the neighborhood the location should be pointed out 

 to the students and a branch with the leaves should be preserved for illus- 

 tration. When fruits and cones can be obtained they should also be studied. 

 Cycas sometimes fruits in conservatories. Zamia can be obtained from 

 Florida. More advanced classes can make a study of some of these types. 



387 



Fig. 35 5. 

 Cones of spruce (Picea). 



