Question

What does the word Angiosperm mean? What does this refer to with regard to the angiosperms?

Answer 1

The tem "angiosperm" derives from two Greek words: angeion, meaning 'vessel," and sperma, meaning "seed." The angiosperms are those plants whase seeds develop within a surrounding layer of plant tissue, called the carpel, with seeds attached around the margins. This arrangement is easily seen by slicing into a tomato, for example. Collectively, carpels together with the style and stigma are termed the ovary, and these plus associated structures develop into the mature fruit. The angiosperms are and develops into a seed in ovary. The ovary itself is usually enclosed in a flower, that part of the angiospemous plant that contains the male or female reproductive organs or both. Fruits are derived from the maturing floral organs of the angiospermous plant and are therefore cha racteristic of angiosperms. By contrast, in Eymnasperms (e.g., conifers), the other large group of vascular seed plants, the seeds do not develop enclosed within an ovary but are usually borne exposed on the surfaces of reproductive structures, such as cones, that orig inally produced the spores. Some defining characteristics of angiosperms include flowers, carpels, and the presence of endosperm, a nutritive substance found in seeds, produced via a second fertilization event.