Cone (Plant)

evergreens · seeds · plants

Woody female cones. The big, hard cones you find on the ground under pine and fir trees are actually the female cones, and they're packed with seeds inside. These cones are super tough and woody because they need to protect those precious seeds until they're ready to spread out into the world.

Tiny male cones. Male cones are much smaller and more delicate than female cones, and they only stick around for a short time. Their job is to make pollen, which floats through the air to reach the female cones so seeds can develop.

Perfect spiral scales. A cone is made up of overlapping plates called scales arranged in a spiral pattern around a central pole, kind of like the layers of an onion. This design is so clever that even the ancient Greeks named the geometric cone shape after it.

Two-year building project. Some cones take two whole years to finish growing and making seeds. In the first year, a bumpy spot called an umbo appears on each scale, and in the second year, the scale expands outward to complete its growth.

Not just pines. While pine cones are the most famous, lots of other evergreen trees like firs, spruces, and cycads also make cones to spread their seeds around. Each type of tree makes slightly different shaped cones, from round to long and thin.