Pine - a fairly widespread plant, characterized by beauty and originality. Against the background of ordinary trees, not only long needles instead of leaves look original, but also small beautiful cones, unlike inflorescences or fruits. But, although conifers, unlike angiosperms, do not have flowers, the process of reproduction in them occurs in a similar way. From this article you will learn in detail about the flowering of conifers.

Does the pine blossom

Pine - coniferous culture, which refers to gymnosperms, which means that it does not bloom, like the usual apple trees or cherries. But it reproduces in the same sexual way, with the difference that the organs intended for this do not look like flowers, but cones or ears.

Most varieties that grow in Russia have a uniform appearance. They are pollinated thanks to the wind, so they have no pronounced smell and bright petals that attract insects.

Did you know? Pine has long been prized for its special beauty. People said: "Where the pine tree grew, there it is red."

Flowering period

Pine blossoms fall at the beginning of spring, when there are no leaves on other trees - just when there are no obstacles for pollination. At this time, in the forests you can see large clouds of yellow pollen. After the rain, pollen descends to the ground and lies in a thick yellow layer - it is because of this that people sometimes suspect that it has rained sulfur.Flower arrows appear in April, but the spikelets themselves - only at a temperature of + 20 ° C. Mostly flowering depends on the weather: if spring comes late and it's cool around, then there will be no cones on the pine until it gets warmer.

How the pine blossoms

Inflorescences of the tree are divided into male and female. The male ones are more like ears of corn, and the female ones are more like small cones. The color of the inflorescences is inconspicuous: the spikelets are light yellow, and the cones have the same, only with a pink tint.

Did you know? Pine cones can be used as a simple hygrometer. The fact is that they are sensitive to changes in humidity: at high they open up, at low they shrink.

Almost all conifers that grow in Russia have the same cones and spikelets. Flowering becomes especially noticeable when there are a lot of male inflorescences on the branches - they resemble burning candles. But such a phenomenon is quite rare.

Male and female inflorescences are on different branches. In addition, nature made sure that coniferous needles did not interfere with pollination, so the inflorescences are located at the ends of the branches. In male ears there are pollen bags, it is in them that pollen is formed. And on the scales of the female cones there are seed rudiments.

Common

The most popular coniferous plant in the Russian Federation is ordinary pine. Cones and ears begin to bloom in late spring or early summer; during this period, new needles appear in the tree. The color of male inflorescences is yellowish, and that of female ones is pale pink.

Due to the strong wind, pollen settles on the female seed flakes, and is glued together with resin. After this, the process of slow germination of pollen grains to the ovules occurs, leading to the appearance of seeds.

Important! To grow a pine tree yourself, you need to collect cones and extract seeds from them, which ripen from August to October. It is best to take brown cones.

Weimutova

This plant lives in the mountains. It blooms in early April and finishes blooming in late May. Cones resemble small cylinders; they are similar to ate inflorescences, but a little more. Weymouth pine has many subspecies that differ in cones, ears and conifer needles.

Cedar

Cedar is a huge noble tree that blooms in mid-autumn. The duration of his life is 3000 years. On one tree, there may be reproductive organs of both male and female, and men's ones look like small barrels surrounded by pine needles, and women's ones are a little larger and are in a bunch. Their size reaches 10 cm. When flowering, female cones reveal scales, which allows pollen to penetrate and fertilize them.

Mountain

Mountain pine blossoms from May to June. Flowering is similar to ordinary pine. Male ears of yellow, and female ears of purple. Cones are ovoid or rounded in shape, light brown in color. On the branch there are 3-4 pieces, open in the winter. The tree begins to bloom early, at about 6–9 years old, and bears fruit every year. Seeds begin to grow at a temperature of +18 ... + 20 ° С.

Why they say: “A pine in Yakutia blooms once every 100 years”

In Yakutia there is an original tree called protea. The birthplace of the plant is South Africa. Externally, the protea is very similar to a pine, but in fact it belongs to the Protein family. It is curious that she really blooms only once every hundred years, but her flowers are very large, beautiful and bright.

Important! Sandy soil is best for growing pine trees.

Their size can reach up to 30 cm, and the color is mainly burgundy, cherry or light green. The fruits of this amazing plant look like small nuts with winged seeds.

So, the process of formation and distribution of pollen in conifers can be called flowering only conditionally. But even without bright inflorescences, the pine tree has a kind of strict beauty. It will become a decoration of the garden, if you approach its cultivation responsibly.