On 4/26/19 6:01 PM, wrote:
Coniferous (pine trees) plants have flowers?
Yep.

Hi All,

I looked this up. Extremely interesting and explains
all the yellow pollen everywhere.

http://jakesnatureblog.com/2017/12/0...hey-reproduce/

Pine trees have two cones. Male and female. No flowers.

Pine trees are "wind" pollinated. The male cones are
typically on the lower half of the tree and the female
one (the ones that eventually develop into classical "pine cones")
are typically on the upper half of the tree. This is to assist
cross pollination and discourage self pollination.

Here is a picture of a male pine cone.

https://i1.wp.com/jakesnatureblog.co...size=676%2C448

I took economic botany in college. It was the most fascinating
course I took. I still remember it.

"Flowers" were a YUGE evolutionary improvement over wind pollination.
Requires far less pollen for one thing!

Just some trivia. You can tell a Ponderosa and a Jeffrey pine tree
by the cones. The Ponderosa's cones thorns curve outward and are
painful to pick up. The Jeffery's Pine cones thorns curve inward,
and are not painful to pick up. Both trees smell like butterscotch.
Yes, I am a tree smell-er, but not a tree hugger.

-T