- MALE AND FEMALE – Mature pine trees are monoecious, meaning that they have both male and female reproductive structures called strobili.
- MALE STRODILI – The male strobili form in the bottom part of the tree, and contain microsporocytes that develop into pollen.
- POLLEN RELEASED – In spring, the male strobili release their pollen, which then falls to the ground.
- FEMALE STROSILI – The pollen is carried by the wind up to the female strobili, which grow at the end of the tree’s branches.
- POLLINATION – Once the pollen lands on the female strobili, it finds its way into the ovules to fertilise the egg cells.
- FERTILISATION – It takes about a year for fertilisation to occur, during which time the strobili develop into woody pine cones.
- PINE CONE – Once matured, the woody cones open up, exposing the seeds that sit at the end of each of their scales.
8. GERMINATION – The seeds are dispersed by animals or the wind, and under the right conditions, germinate and develop into seedlings.
