are gnetophytes gymnosperms
“Gymnosperm” literally means “naked seed”. This is due to the fact that the seeds of gymnosperms are borne on structures that leave them exposed to the environment. As you will see, the seeds of angiosperms (flowering plants) are contained within protective structures that ultimately develop into fruits. The leaves of Ephedra, Gnetum, and Welwitschia are strikingly different in form and venation and provide morphological characters that are definitive for each of the genera. The leaves of most Ephedra species are reduced or scalelike, although in some species they may grow to three centimetres in length. The leaves of most species have two primary veins, which are connected to two axial stem vascular bundles. Gnetophyte, Welwitschia© orxy/Fotoliaany member of the division Gnetophyta, a small group of gymnospermous vascular plants that are represented by three living genera: Ephedra, Gnetum, and Welwitschia. There are 65 species in the genus Ephedra, 30 or more in Gnetum, but only one in Welwitschia. Gnetophytes are cone bearing plants. Gnetophytes are seed-bearing plants that can grow as shrubs, trees, or vines and share similarities with both gymnosperms (a plant that has a seed unprotected by an ovary or fruit) and angiosperms ( a plant that has flowers and produces seeds enclosed with a carpel) The reproductive structures of gnetophytes are contained within strobili, or cones. Most species are dioecious; i.e., one individual plant produces either pollen-producing or seed-producing cones, called microsporangiate and megasporangiate strobili, respectively. Gymnosperms and angiosperms are “heterosporous” (“different spores”) meaning that they produce two different kinds of spores that differ in size. Larger spores, or “megaspores”, produce female gametophytes while the smaller “microspores” produce male gametophytes. Phylum Gnetophyta (Vessel-bearing gymnosperms) Return to phylum directory Living Genera: Ephedra Gnetum Welwitschia Phylum including three extant families and four genera. This lineage dates back only to the early Cretaceous in the fossil record and is widely considered to be the closest extant relative of the flowering plants. Gnetum gnemonBotBlnThe leaves of Gnetum resemble those of the angiosperms (the flowering plants) in form, structure, and venation. Two leaves at a node are broad and have a pinnate venation system (one midvein with lateral secondary veins that run to the leaf margin) and a meshwork of smaller veins. Like gymnosperms, angiosperms produce seeds; but unlike gymnosperms whose seeds are “naked” or exposed, angiosperm seeds are enclosed within a “fruit”. Fruit and flower structures vary enormously due to a broad diversity of functional adaptations, so we reserve these as topics unto themselves. The presence of vessel elements in the xylem and the structural similarity of the gnetophyte strobilus to the angiosperm flower, suggests that the gnetophytes might represent a “bridge” group linking gymnosperms and angiosperms.
Yes, it is group of gymnospermous.