Family Pinaceae: The Pines, Cedars, Spruce, and Firs

A mature, fertilized female cone may be thought of as "fruit" (although technically conifers do not "flower" and hence cannot bear fruit). In most conifers, the cones are woody structures, but by no means do they all look like the classic pinecone. Some have seeds enveloped in a fleshy coating. Separate male cones are called staminate; they often take the form of tiny cones or catkins; these provide the pollen to fertilize the female cones, which ultimately produce the seeds. The female cones are the familiar woody structures and they are called pistillate cones. Most species of conifer are monoecious: they have both male and female cones on the same tree.