New data force a rethink of the
evolution of gymnosperms, the plant group that includes spruces, pines, and other holiday favorites
It is the product of the ripened
ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth with in the motherplant.
There are an estimated 270,000 known species of angiosperms, or flowering plants, but only about 900
species of gymnosperms, which are nonflowering plants such as conifers, cycads, and ginkgoes.
It's worth noting that
some of the gymnosperm lines have gone extinct.