Gymnosperms are plants that have seeds which are not enclosed in a fruit or ovary. This is because they lack an ovary, which is the female reproductive structure that encloses and protects the ovules (future seeds) in angiosperms (flowering plants). In gymnosperms, the ovules are exposed on the surface of a cone or cone-like structure, and they are not enclosed by an ovary or fruit. This is why gymnosperms are said to bear "naked" seeds. The lack of an ovary also means that gymnosperms do not produce fruits.