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Four Gymnosperm Phyla

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State

Living gymnosperms fall into four phyla: conifers, seeds in cones; cycads, palm-like leaves; ginkgo, one living lineage; and gnetophytes, vessel elements.

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Pine and spruce are conifers; Ginkgo biloba is the sole living member of its phylum, unlike any other seed-plant group.

Watch for

Ginkgo's single living lineage does not mean the phylum was always rare — its fossil record shows far greater past diversity.