Conifer cone

They are usually woody and variously conic, cylindrical, ovoid, to globular, and have scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, but can be fleshy and berry-like.

[2] This assures that the small, windborne seeds will be dispersed during relatively dry weather, and thus the distance traveled from the parent tree will be enhanced.

A pine cone will go through many cycles of opening and closing during its life span, even after seed dispersal is complete.

For most species they disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds, although in some such as Araucaria bidwillii, the cone weighing up to 10 kilograms (22 lb) is shed intact.

In most of the genera, two to ten or more scales are fused together into a usually swollen, brightly coloured, soft, edible fleshy aril.

The botanical term galbulus (plural galbuli; from the Latin for a cypress cone) is sometimes used instead of strobilus for members of this family.

The cones are usually small, 0.3–6 cm or 1⁄8–2+3⁄8 inches long, and often spherical or nearly so, like those of Nootka cypress, while others, such as western redcedar and California incense-cedar, are narrow.

Members of the yew family and the closely related Cephalotaxaceae have the most highly modified cones of any conifer.

The scale develops into a soft, brightly coloured sweet, juicy, berry-like aril which partly encloses the deadly seed.

This allows it great drought tolerance, which is likely why it has survived in the desert of Namibia, while all other representatives from its order are extinct.

[6][7] A 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).

Most species of spruce are prone to the formation of pineapple gall pseudocones caused by the woolly aphids in the genus Adelges.

Alder (Alnus) trees are not conifers, but their mature seed bearing catkins closely resemble cones.

Examples of their use includes seasonal wreaths and decorations, fire starters, bird feeders, toys, etc.

[13] An intriguing derivation of the impossible bottle mechanical puzzle takes advantage of the fact that pine cones open and close based on their level of dryness.

In constructing a display, a closed, damp cone of suitable size is inserted into a narrow-mouthed bottle and allowed to open upon drying.

[14] Cone cows are traditional homemade toys, made by children using material found in nature.

In Sweden, a video game was released in which the player may build virtual cone cows.

[17][18] Cones are used as decorative elements in architecture such as on top of the posts surrounding Koper's Da Ponte Fountain, the central element of the Fontana della Pigna in Rome, or a bronze cone in the narthex of the Aachen Cathedral.

In some parts of Russia and Georgia, immature pine cones are harvested in late spring and boiled to make sweet preserves.