Botanique.org

Gymnosperms are plants with seeds ( Spermaphyte(N. F.) PLANTE A GRAINE.s) but with a naked ovule(N. M.) ORGANE ENFERME DANS L’OVAIRE CONSTITUE DES TEGUMENTS ET DES TISSUS DIPLOIDES D’ORIGINE MATERNELLE QUI ENTOURENT LE SAC EMBRYONNAIRE HAPLOIDE CONTENANT LES GAMETES FEMELLES. L’OVULE FECONDE SE TRANSFORME EN GRAINE.: the ovule is not included in a carpel that is an apomorphic feature of Angiosperms. A leaf-life structure (homologous to a leaf), a scale or megasporophyll bears the ovule.

Gymnosperms are probably monophyletic and include:

 Cycadales (Cycas, Zamia) that are the more primitive Gymnosperms (Basal Gymnosperms),

 Ginkgoales, a sister-clade(N. M.) GROUPE DE CLASSIFICATION CONSTITUE D'UN ANCETRE ET DE SA DESCENDANCE. of the clade including Conifers and Gnetales,

 Gnetales (Ephedra, Gnetum, Welwitschia) are monophyletic and nested within Conifers,

 Gnetales are the sister-clade of Pinaceae.