Angiosperms

Angiosperms (Gr. angeion, 'a vessel,' and sperma, 'seed'), a term applied to Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons, in contrast to Gymnosperms (Conifers and Cycads). The distinction emphasised is that in angiosperms the ovules or future seeds are enclosed in a closed ovary, and fertilised through the medium of a stigma, while in gymnosperms the ovule is naked, and the pollen is applied directly to its surface. See OVULE.