Gnetophytes

 Gnetophytes

Gnetophytes are seed bearing plants that can grow as trees, shrubs, and even vines. Gnetophytes fall under the phylum of Gymnosperms which are ancient surviving seed plants. There are four groups of gymnosperms that are found today. The word Gymnosperms also means naked seed. In Flowering plants the fruit or ovary wall covers or encloses the seeds, in gymnosperms the seeds are not covered in anything similar to that, therefore they call it naked seeds. All of these seed plants are all fruitless, neither do they produce flowers. Most gnetophytes produce separate female and male cones born on separate male or female plants. There are three different types of gnetophytes on earth, the first being Epherda. Epherda are mostly found in dry climates mainly in the norther hemisphere, across south Europe, north Africa and central asia and mainly plant grows where it can get direct sunlight. Epherda is very beneficial for medical purposes because it is used to treat asthma, hay fever, and the common cold. China has been using Ephedra for around four thousand years to treat symptoms like the common cold. Also early American settlers used it as tea called Mormon tea, and Squaw tea. Ephedra is still even used today in most over the counter medicine and in fat burning medicine. These plants are mostly shrubby, with small scale leaves and jointed scales. There are around thirty-five species of Ephedra which include; Ephedra sinica, Ephedra nevadensis, and Ephedra breana. The second type of Gnetophytes is Gnetum. Gnetums is a type of gnetophyte that are tropical evergreen trees, shrubs and lianas. Gnetums are very odd when being compared to Gnetophytes because they produce brad leaves with netted venation that are very smiler to the ones found in flowering plants. These Gnetums are found in South America, Africa and most parts of China. Gnetums are mainly edible therefore you can eat its seeds when there roasted and is used as a leaf vegetable, some are used as herbal medicine. Gnetums are very special compared to other gymnosperms because they have high photosynthetic and transpiration capabilities with also a high capacity of xylem. The third type of gnetophyte is Welwitschia. Welwitschia grows from a short, thick, woody trunk with only two leaves that continuously grow from their base, and long thick taproot. These plants grow very slow and are endangered, but despite being endangered, they live around for a long time. They are mostly found in South Africa and has male and female cones. They can live for almost one thousand years. These plants start of with two leaves and they grow and end up looking like if it had multiple leaves.