spermatophyte Seed-bearing plant, including most trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. It has a stem, leaves, roots, and a well-developed vascular system. The dominant generation is the sporophyte. The Five Kingdoms scheme classifies seed plants as several distinct phyla: the Angiospermophyta (flowering plants), Coniferophyta (conifers), Ginkgophyta (ginkgo or maidenhair tree), Cycadophyta (cycads), and Gnetophyta (a group of cone-bearing desert plants).

sper·mat·o·phyte / spərˈmatəˌfīt/ • n. Bot. a plant of a large division (Spermatophyta) that comprises those that bear seeds, including the gymnosperms and angiosperms.