Plant Kingdom — BIOLOGY STD 11 Science — Question

4. Cycas

Explanation:

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, a living fossil is defined as, “an organism that has remained essentially unchanged from earlier geologic times and whose close relatives are usually extinct.”

In terms of evolution, gymnosperms are slightly more primitive than angiosperms. The majority of gymnosperm species have gone extinct, leaving only 900 species alive today.

Cycas is considered a living fossil since it has not changed through time, whereas its related members or species have gone extinct or have been found in the form of fossils.

Hence, Cycas is termed as "living fossil" as they live as the undamaged representative of an extinct group, genus, or species.