Question

Why do most of the gymnosperms lack vessel elements in their xylem?

Answer 1

Gymnosperms:

1. Gymnosperms are non-flowering, seed-bearing plants.
2. The gymnosperms are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, and gnetophytes.
3. Gymnosperms are fruitless seed plants.
4. Gymnosperms must have evolved approximately three hundred million years ago from non-seed-producing ancestors of the extinct division of Progymnosperm Ophyta, which were fern-like in appearance.
5. Most gymnosperms lack vessel elements in their xylem, unlike flowering plants which have both vessels and tracheids.
6. The vessel element is typically found in the Angiosperms (flowering plants) and it is absent in the Gymnosperms as these plants do not produce flowers.
7. The vessel element plays an important role in the flowering plants as they require more amount of water for their growth.