A cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta (conifers) that contains the reproductive structures. Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life A strobilus (plural strobili is an organ of many Plants that contains the reproductive structures Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of A herbaceous plant (or in botanical use a Herb) is a Plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of The name "cone" derives from the fact that the shape in some species resembles a geometric cone. Geometry ( Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth metria = measure is a part of Mathematics concerned with questions of size shape and relative position A cone is a three-dimensional Geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat round base to a point called the apex or vertex The individual plates of a cone are known as scales.
The male cone (microstrobilus or pollen cone) is structurally similar across all conifers, differing only in small ways (mostly in scale arrangement) from species to species. Extending out from a central axis are microsporophylls (modified leaves). Under each microsporophyll is one or several microsporangia (pollen sacs). A sporangium (pl sporangia) is a Plant or fungal structure producing and containing Spores Sporangia occur in angiosperms, The photo (right) shows mature male pine cones shortly after pollen release. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation.
The female cone (megastrobilus, seed cone, or ovulate cone) contains ovules within which, when fertilized by pollen, become seeds. Ovule literally means "small egg." In Seed plants the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells The female cone structure varies more markedly between the different conifer families, and is often crucial for the identification of many species of conifers, in as much as seeing the foliage alone may be insufficient to differentiate between closely related species.
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Female cones of the conifer families
Pinaceae cones
The members of the pine family (pines, spruces, firs, cedars, larches, etc. The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. Cedar ( Cedrus) is a genus of Coniferous Trees in the Plant family Pinaceae. Larches are Conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. ) have cones that are imbricate with scales overlapping each other like fish scales. These are the "archetypal" cones. The scales are spirally arranged in fibonacci number ratios. In Mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are a Sequence of numbers named after Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci
The female cone has two types of scale: the bract scales, derived from a modified leaf, and the seed scales (or ovuliferous scales), one subtending each bract scale, derived from a highly modified branchlet. On the upper-side base of each seed scale are two ovules that develop into seeds after fertilisation by pollen grains. The bract scales develop first, and are conspicuous at the time of pollination; the seed scales develop later to enclose and protect the seeds, with the bract scales often not growing further. The scales open temporarily to receive pollen, then close during fertilisation and maturation, and then re-open again at maturity to allow the seed to escape. Maturation takes 6-8 months from pollination in most Pinaceae genera, but 12 months in cedars and 18-24 months (rarely more) in most pines. The cones open either by the seed scales flexing back when they dry out, or (in firs, cedars and golden larch) by the cones disintegrating with the seed scales falling off. Pseudolarix is a monotypic genus in the family Pinaceae. The sole species Pseudolarix amabilis is commonly known as Golden Larch The cones are conic, cylindrical or ovoid (egg-shaped), and small to very large, from 2-60 cm long and 1-20 cm broad. A cone is a three-dimensional Geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat round base to a point called the apex or vertex A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes the Surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given Straight line, the axis In geometry an oval or ovoid (from Latin ovum, 'egg' is any Curve resembling an egg or an Ellipse.
Araucariaceae cones
Members of the Araucariaceae (Araucaria, Agathis, Wollemia) have the bract and seed scales fully fused, and have only one ovule on each scale. The Araucariaceae are a very ancient family of Conifers They achieved maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when they existed almost Araucaria is a Genus of Evergreen coniferous Trees in the family Araucariaceae. The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small Genus of 21 species of Evergreen Trees in the The cones are spherical or nearly so, and large to very large, 5-30 cm diameter, and mature in 18 months; at maturity, they disintegrate to release the seeds. In Agathis, the seeds are winged and separate readily from the seed scale, but in the other two genera, the seed is wingless and fused to the scale.
Podocarpaceae cones
The cones of the Podocarpaceae are similar in function, though not in development, to those of the Taxaceae (q. Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere Conifers with 18-19 genera and about 170-200 species of Evergreen Trees and v. below), being berry-like with the scales highly modified, evolved to attract birds into dispersing the seeds. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. In most of the genera, two to ten or more scales are fused together into a usually swollen, brightly coloured, soft, edible fleshy aril. Distinguish from Aryl, which is a type of organic chemical radical Usually only one or two scales at the apex of the cone are fertile, each bearing a single wingless seed, but in Saxegothaea several scales may be fertile. Saxegothaea is a Genus comprising a single Species of conifer belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae, its full scientific The fleshy scale complex is 0. 5-3 cm long, and the seeds 4-10 mm long. In some genera (e. g. Prumnopitys), the scales are minute and not fleshy, but the seed coat develops a fleshy layer instead, the cone having the appearance of one to three small plums on a central stem. Prumnopitys is a Genus of Conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. A plum or gage is a stone fruit Tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The seeds have a hard coat evolved to resist digestion in the bird's stomach, and is passed in the bird's droppings.
Cupressaceae cones
Members of the cypress family (cypresses, arborvitae, junipers, redwoods, etc) differ in that the bract and seed scales are fully fused, with the bract visible as no more than a small lump or spine on the scale. Sequoiadendron giganteum ( Giant Sequoia, Sierra Redwood, or Wellingtonia) is the sole species in the genus Sequoiadendron The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution The Genus Cupressus is one of several genera within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others Thuja (pronounced "thoo-ya" or " thoo-ja " is a genus of Coniferous Trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living Species of the Genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly The botanical term galbulus (plural galbuli; from the Latin for a cypress cone) is sometimes used instead of strobilus for members of this family. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The female cones have one to 20 ovules on each scale. They often have peltate scales, as opposed to the imbricate cones described above, though some have imbricate scales. The cones are usually small, 0. 3-6 cm long, and often spherical or nearly so, like those of Nootka Cypress, while others, such as Western Redcedar, are narrow. Nootka Cypress ( Callitropsis nootkatensis) formerly Cupressus nootkatensis Xanthocyparis nootkatensis or Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, is Western redcedar ( Thuja plicata) is a species of Thuja, an Evergreen coniferous Tree in the cypress family The scales are arranged either spirally, or in decussate whorls of two (opposite pairs) or three, rarely four. The genera with spiral scale arrangement were often treated in a separate family (Taxodiaceae) in the past. In most of the genera, the cones are woody and the seeds have two narrow wings (one along each side of the seed), but in three genera (Platycladus, Microbiota and Juniperus), the seeds are wingless, and in Juniperus, the cones are fleshy and berry-like. Platycladus is a distinct Genus of Evergreen coniferous Tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one Microbiota is a Genus of Evergreen coniferous Shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. The word berry has two meanings one based on a botanical definition the other on common identification
Sciadopityaceae cones
The cones and seeds of Sciadopitys (the only member of the family) are similar to those of some Cupressaceae, but larger, 6-11 cm long; the scales are imbricate and spirally arranged, and have 5-9 ovules on each scale. The Koyamaki ( Sciadopitys verticillata) or Japanese Umbrella-pine, is a unique Conifer endemic to Japan.
Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae cones
Members of the yew family and the closely related Cephalotaxaceae have the most highly modified cones of any conifer. The family Taxaceae, commonly called the yew family includes three genera and about 7 to 12 species of Coniferous Plants or in other interpretations The family Cephalotaxaceae is a small grouping of Conifers with three genera and about 20 species closely allied to the Taxaceae, and included in that family There is only one scale in the female cone, with a single poisonous ovule. The scale develops into a soft, brightly coloured sweet, juicy, berry-like aril which partly encloses the deadly seed. The seed alone is poisonous. The whole 'berry' with the seed is eaten by birds, which digest the sugar-rich scale and pass the hard seed undamaged in their droppings, so dispersing the seed far from the parent plant. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose.
Location and distribution
For most species, male and female cones occur on the same plant (tree or shrub), with female usually on the higher branches towards the top of the plant. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree This distribution is thought to improve chances of cross-fertilization, as pollen is unlikely to be blown vertically upward within the crown of one plant, but can drift slowly upward in the wind, blowing from low on one plant to higher on another plant. Heterosis is a term used in Genetics and Selective breeding. The term heterosis also known as hybrid vigor or outbreeding enhancement, In some conifers, male cones additionally often grow clustered in large numbers together, while female cones are more often produced singly or in only small clusters.
A further characteristic arrangement of pines is that the male cones are located at the base of the branch, while the female at the tip (of the same or a different branchlet). However, in larches and cedars, both types of cones are always at the tips of short shoots, while both sexes of fir cones are always from side buds, never terminal. There's also some diversity in bearing in Cupressaceae. Some, Cupressus for instance, has little or no differentiation in the positions of male and female cones. The Genus Cupressus is one of several genera within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others
Pseudocones
Norway and Sitka spruce are prone to the formation of Pineapple gall pseudocones caused by the woolly aphid, Adelges abietis. The Pineapple or Pseudocone gall develops as a chemically induced distortion of up to a hundred pine needles mostly on Norway Spruce and Sitka Spruce. These are not pine cones, however they closely resemble them.
Alder trees are not even conifers, however the mature seed bearing structure closely resembles a pine cone to the untutored eye. Alder is the common name of a Genus of Flowering plants ( Alnus) belonging to the Birch family (Family Betulaceae)
Trivia
- The Norwegian municipality of Drangedal has two pine cones in its coat-of-arms. Drangedal is a municipality in the county of Telemark, Norway.
- Because of their unique mass distribution and aerodynamical qualities, pine cones are often used as rudimentary play objects, such as in pine cone golf. Small children are also known to wedge twigs and brush between the scales of a pine cone to imitate animals, such as the cone cow. Käpylehmä (plural Käpylehmät) or "cone cows" were traditional homemade Toys in Finland.
- The Pokémon Pineco is based on a Pinecone. If you came here to express your personal opinion about Pokémon please go somewhere else At the core of the multi-billion dollar Pokémon Media franchise of various electronic games, ongoing anime, several manga series, A cone (in formal botanical usage Strobilus, plural strobili is an organ on Plants in the division Pinophyta ( Conifers
- The arrangement of scales on many pine cones demonstrate Fibonacci numbers. In Mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are a Sequence of numbers named after Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci
External links
- Arboretum de Villardebelle Images of various conifer-cones
- Gymnosperm cone images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
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