Getting to Know Seed Plants

Spermatophytes or seed plants are very important to the earth's ecosystem. From their name alone, you can surmise what kind of plants these are. They bear seeds which they use to propagate. There are several types of seed plants, namely conifers, woody plants, Gingko, cycads and angiosperms.

Conifers

Conifers are what we call those trees which bear pine cones or just cones to house their seeds and they have leaves that are usually scale like. These plants are usually composed of trees with a few exceptions which are shrubs. They are very tall trees which usually stand out in their habitats. These seed plants can be found in almost every part of the globe and some of their species are commonly used for Christmas trees. They are also used to produce paper and timber.

Woody Plants

Woody plants are usually trees, some vines, cacti and some shrubs. This type of seed plants has a thick bark that usually covers a trunk or stem. Some shrubs may have the typical woody stems that qualify them for a spermatophyte and they also have the usual seed cone.

Ginkgo

Ginkgo is the oldest living tree in our world. It has been around for along time, possibly the time of dinosaurs. The trees were thought to be extinct but some were rediscovered in China under the care of monks. These seed plants have medicinal properties that claim to enhance people's memories and help with vertigo. These are highly disputed claims but the more accurate effect of the Ginkgo tree is improved flow of blood from the heart to most organs. Another positive effect that the Ginkgo has is to prevent blood clotting which can help patients with sticky blood. It also protects against cell damage.

Cycads

Cycads are often mistaken by people as palm trees instead of seed plants because of their appearance and leaves. They have the appearance of a palm with their crown of leaves and stout trunk. They often grow their seed containers near the base of their crown of leaves. Their primary use is to make starch or flour.

Flowering Plants

Angiosperms may sound very complicated but actually they are the most common type of seed plants around the world. They are the plants that bear flowers and sometimes eventually fruit. The plants use the beauty of their flowers to lure insects into them and the pollen in the flowers attach themselves into the insect. As the insect go from flower to flower and tree to tree the flowers are germinated.