Gymnosperms are flowerless plants that produce cones and seeds. It literally means "naked seed". They sit exposed on the surface of leaf-like structures called bracts. Gymnosperms are vascular plants of the subkingdom Embyophyta and include conifers, cycads, ginkgoes, and gnetophytes. They are abundant in temperate forest and boreal forest biomes with species that can tolerate moist or dry conditions.