Gymnosperm

Gymnosperms are seed-bearing, vascular plants. The term gymnosperm comes from the Greek word gumnospermos meaning literally "naked seed". This term is applied because the seeds of the plant are not formed in an enclosed ovulary (developing into a fruit as in the angiosperms), but naked on the scales of a cone-like structure.

Examples of gymnosperms include ginko, juniper, and — most well known — conifers such as fir and pine. Also included in this group are the Giant sequoia and the world's oldest living trees, the Bristlecone pines that grow only on the North American contintent. The oldest living organism on Earth, a Bristlecone which had been named "Prometheus", was cut down by a research student (with the sanction of the U.S. Forest Department) in 1964. Upon examination by a dendrochronologist this tree was found to be 4,862 years old.