#gymnosperm

Hi! I’m not dead, just in university lol

Here have a quick bug-nibbled ginkgo leaf!!

Learning about gymnosperms and thinking about the word gym, remembering I once heard that gymnasiums were so called because citizens exercised in the nude in ancient Greece. Here are some excerpts from Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnasium_%28ancient_Greece%29

“The gymnasium (Greek: γυμνάσιον) in Ancient Greece functioned as a training facility for competitors in public game(s). It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Ancient Greek term gymnós meaning "naked". Only adult male citizens were allowed to use the gymnasia.Athletes competed nude, a practice which was said to encourage aesthetic appreciation of the male body, and to be a tribute to the gods. Gymnasia and palaestrae (wrestling schools) were under the protection and patronage of Heracles, Hermes and, in Athens, Theseus.[1]”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnosperm

“The gymnosperms, also known as Acrogymnospermae, are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes. The term "gymnosperm" comes from the composite word in Greek: γυμνόσπερμος (γυμνός, gymnos, 'naked' and σπέρμα, sperma, 'seed'), literally meaning "naked seeds". The name is based on the unenclosed condition of their seeds (called ovules in their unfertilized state). The non-encased condition of their seeds contrasts with the seeds and ovules of flowering plants (angiosperms), which are enclosed within an ovary. Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface of scales or leaves, which are often modified to form cones, or solitary as in yew, Torreya, Ginkgo.[1]”

Various gymnosperms LEFT 1-Welwitschia mirabilis 2-Cycas revoluta 3-Taxus baccata 4-Gingko biloba RIGHT 1-Cupressus sempervirens 2-Sequoiadendron giganteum 3-Dammara orientalis 4-Araucaria heterophylla