During a school trip to a hill station, students of class 7 walked past tall trees with needle-like leaves. They collected dry cones scattered beneath these trees. When Anunay gently shook one cone, tiny winged seeds slipped out. He noticed that the seeds were not enclosed in fruits but lay exposed on the scales of the cones.

(a) Do these trees belong to flowering plants ? If not, which group do they belong to ?

(b) Give two examples of plants that belong to the same category.

(c) These plants are evergreen. What does the term 'evergreen' mean ?

(d) Mention two types of cones commonly found on such trees.

(e) How are these cone-bearing plants different from fruit-bearing plants like mango or guava ?

(a) No, these trees do not belong to flowering plants. They belong to the group Gymnosperms.

(b) Two examples of plants that belong to the same category are: Pinus and Cycas.

(c) Evergreen means that the plants remain green throughout the year. They do not shed all their leaves at the same time in any particular season.

(d) Two types of cones commonly found on such trees are male and female cones.

(e) Cone-bearing plants have naked seeds that are not enclosed within fruits, and they do not produce true flowers or fruits. In contrast, fruit-bearing plants like mango and guava produce flowers, and their seeds are enclosed within fruits.