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    SEM of Pollen from a variety of common plants:

sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory Ipomoea purpurea, hollyhock (Sildalcea malviflora), lily (Lilium auratum), primrose (Oenothera fruticosa) and castor bean (Ricinus communis). The image is magnified some x500, so the bean shaped grain in the bottom left corner is about 50 μm long.

Cryptogam means hidden reproduction, as no seed is produced. Cryptogams reproduce by Spores
Cryptogams are the opposite of the Phanerogamae (Spermatophytes)
The classification is now deprecated in Linnaean taxonomy
Spermatophytes are seed plants, comprising Cycads, Ginkgo, Pinophyta (Conifers), Gnetophyta (Woody plants grouped in the Gymnosperms), Angiosperms (Flowering plants)

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    Gymnosperm γυμνόσπερμος="naked seeds" (not enclosed within an ovary, as are Angiosperms)
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    Ginkgo biloba (銀杏) is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives.

Ginkgo is a genus of highly unusual non-flowering plants with one extant species, G. biloba, which is regarded as a living fossil.



Nymphaeaceae is commonly known as water lily. Nelumbo is commonly known as Lotus. Both Nymphaeaceae and Nelumbo are called Lotus.