Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms (Greek gymnos = naked, sperma = seed) are 'naked-seed' plants — their ovules, and later their seeds, sit exposed rather than being enclosed inside an ovary. The group dominated the landscape during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of the Mesozoic era, and today's gymnosperms are found across temperate and tropical regions worldwide. One striking gymnosperm by-product is amber — a durable plant resin secreted by species such as Pinites succinifera — famous for preserving insects and other small organisms trapped i …