Angiospermae

Angiospermae takes its name from the Greek angios (enclosed vessel) and sperma (seed) — in this group the seeds develop enclosed within a fruit, i.e. within the ovary. Angiosperms are the most advanced and most highly evolved group of flowering plants, primarily adapted to terrestrial habitats, and they vary enormously in size — from Wolffia, the smallest angiosperm at about 1 mm, to Eucalyptus, which can grow over 100 metres tall.

Life cycle. Angiosperms show heteromorphic alternation of generations: the sporophyte is diploid, dominant, autotrophic and independent, while the gametophytes (male and female) are haploid, greatly reduced, nutritionally dependent (parasitic) on the sporophyte, and concealed within it. …