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Pine cones aren’t just decoration. They’re tools trees use to survive.

The cones contain seeds and will release them only when conditions are good for them to create a new tree.

By
November 15, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EST
Pine cones come in many shapes and sizes that can help you identify the kind of pine tree they fell from. Here are two different pine cones in their open and closed stages. (Ann Cameron Siegal)
4 min

One of the simplest examples of how plants adapt to ensure that their species survives is found in pine cones.

Evergreen trees that produce cones are called conifers. There are more than 600 species of conifers — which include pines, firs and spruce — each with its own type and size of cones.