gymnosperm, Any of the more than 1,000 species of woody vascular plants that reproduce by means of an exposed seed, or ovule, as opposed to an angiosperm, or flowering plant, whose seeds are enclosed by mature ovaries, or fruits. The four surviving gymnosperm divisions are Pinophyta (orders Pinales, the most widespread; Araucariales; and Cupressales), Cycadophyta (order Cycadales), Ginkgophyta (order Ginkgoales), and Gnetophyta (orders Ephedrales, Gnetales, and Welwitschiales). More than half are trees; most of the rest are shrubs. Gymnosperms occur on all continents except Antarctica and are found especially in the temperate latitudes. Those widely found in the Northern Hemisphere are the conifers, including junipers, firs, larches, spruces, and pines; and in the Southern Hemisphere, podocarps (Podocarpus). Gymnosperms were a major component in the vegetation that was compressed over millions of years into coal. Most are evergreen. They produce male and female reproductive cells in separate male and female strobili (see cone). The wood of gymnosperms is often called softwood to differentiate it from the hardwood of angiosperms; some gymnosperms are grown as timber and pulp trees or as ornamentals. Gymnosperms also are a minor source of food; of essential oils used in soaps, air fresheners, disinfectants, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and perfumes; of tannin, used for curing leather; and of turpentines.
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