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Seed plants (spermatophytes)

What are seed plants?

Seed plants are characterised by the development of a seed after fertilisation. The seed usually contains an embryo and a food supply, all surrounded by a protective coat.

  • Dried specimen of the common poppy, Papaver rhoeas L, from the Museum's herbarium
    Groups

    Find out about the two major groups of seed plants: angiosperms and gymnosperms.

  • Wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa, growing in woodland
    Habitats

    Learn more about the abundance and habitats of angiosperms and gymnosperms.

  • Fossil of a wind-dispersed seed of Acer pseudocampestre
    Evolution of seed plants

    When did seed plants evolve?

  • A scanning electron microscope image of a blueberry (Vaccinium sp.)
    The impact of seed plants on our lives

    Seed plants play a host of important roles in our lives, from providing food to controlling pollution, but can also cause problems such as hayfever.

  • Solanum herculeum, a narrow endemic from southern Spain
    Seed plant research

    Seed plant taxonomic expertise within the Botany Department includes the Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, Hypericaceae, Orobanchaceae, Solanaceae and Urticaceae families. Find out more about related research projects.

  • Anemone pavonina, a flowering Mediterranean plant species
    Seed plant collections

    Find out about our seed plant collections, an important resource for the scientific community. The earliest specimens originate from the 17th century and some collections provide time series that make it possible to study climate and vegetation changes.

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