The
flowering plants (
angiosperms), also known as
Angiospermae or
Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of
land plants, with about 350,000 species. Like
gymnosperms, angiosperms are
seed-producing plants; they are distinguished from gymnosperms by
characteristics including
flowers,
endosperm within the seeds, and the production of
fruits that contain the seeds. Etymologically, means a plant that produces seeds within an enclosure, in other words, a fruiting plant. The term "angiosperm" comes from the
Greek composite word (angeion-, "case" or "casing", and sperma, "seed") meaning "enclosed seeds", after the enclosed condition of the seeds.