TINY TUESDAY

These are male cones growing on the tips of the lower branches of my Norway Spruce (Picea abies)....some people also call them Pine Cones which are found only on pines.....these are spruce cones. Many people mistakenly believe that this is new leaf growth as the cones appear only early in the season. Not true. These cones are male and produce pollen....profusely. The female cones are near the top of the tree and, once pollinated, produce the seed which will be released to the environment in the 2nd year after pollination. They are higher up the tree to facilitate seed dispersal away from the parent plant. The male cones will dry up after their work is done and will be replaced by new leaf growth (needles).

Check the extra as I shake the branch slightly to show pollen. Pollen is light....most coniferous forests are open underneath and wind speed is reduced by the bulk of the tree. As wind blows over the top of the forest at greater speed, the air pressure above the forest is reduced (Bernoulli's principle) and pollen from below flows upward due to higher air pressure below and thusly the female cones are pollinated.

It's the same principle that explains how an automotive carburetor works using a venturi to create pressure differences.

Best seen in Large.