- 1). Examine the seed. If you are looking at a cone, the presence of pollen tells you it is a male cone, and if it is sticky, it is a female or seed cone.
- 2). Determine whether the seed is exposed, such as on a pine cone, or encased in a fruit, such as an apple. Carefully open a bean or fruit up with a scalpel or scissors to observe its parts. This is the main difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms -- the seeds of the former are encased, while those of the latter are exposed.
- 3). Confirm your findings by thinking about the plants the seeds will grow into. Gymnosperms generally have evergreen leaves, and rely on the wind to blow pollen onto the seeds to reproduce. Angiosperms are flowering plants and are pollinated through birds, animals and insects.
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