Angiosperm

Pronunciation

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἀγγεῖον ("receptacle") + σπέρμα ("seed").

Full definition of angiosperm

Noun

1. (botany) Any plant of the clade Angiosperms, characterized by having ovules enclosed in an ovary; a flowering plant.
• Schuster Hepaticae V|3-4As with the Lejeuneaceae, this pattern of massive speciation appears to be correlated with the Cretaceous explosion of the angiosperms and the simultaneous creation of a host of new microenvironments, differing in humidity, light intensity, texture, etc.
• 1997, Valentin A. Krassilov, Angiosperm Origins: Morphological and Ecological Aspects, page 134,The notion of magnoliaceans as the most primitive living angiosperms, justified or not, does not mean that all their characters, including multilacunar nodal anatomy and the lack of tannins, are primary.
• 2009, Xin Wang, 3: New Fossils and New Hope for the Origin of Angiosperms, Pierre Pontarotti, Evolutionary Biology: Concept, Modeling, and Application, page 55,With all these features, it is pretty easy for one to identify an angiosperm. This is a very normal and common practice for neobotanists. However, the situation becomes complicated when you go back to the early history of angiosperms.

Related terms

• gymnosperm

Adjective

1. (botany) pertaining to the angiosperms.