The
spermatophytes (from the Greek word "Σπερματόφυτα"), also known as
phanerogams or
phenogamae, comprise those
plants that produce
seeds, hence the alternative name
seed plants. They are a subset of the
embryophytes or land plants. The term
phanerogams or
phanerogamae is derived from the
Greek , = "visible", in contrast to the
cryptogamae from Greek = "hidden" together with the
suffix , , "to marry". These terms distinguished those plants with hidden sexual organs (cryptogamae) from those with visible sexual organs (phanerogamae).
