What do conifers use to hold seeds?

Conifers use pine cones, or seed cones, to hold and protect their seeds. In botanical terms, these cones are reproductive structures called strobili.

Female cones contain ovules on their scales, which become seeds after pollination and fertilization. Conifers are generally wind-pollinated, so pollen from separate male cones can reach the female cones. As the cone matures, its scales may open and release seeds, many of which have wings that help them travel on the wind.

Pine cones are the familiar example, but not every conifer has a large, woody cone that looks like a pine cone. Fir and cedar cones can break apart while releasing seeds, and yews produce seeds surrounded by a fleshy covering called an aril.

Another common mix-up is thinking the cone itself is the seed. The cone is the protective structure; the seeds are attached to or enclosed among its scales. Some pine species keep seeds sealed in cones until intense heat from a wildfire opens them.