Pine is a widespread coniferous crop that looks very attractive and is characterized by its originality. It differs from ordinary deciduous trees in having long needles and decorative cones that do not look like flowers and fruits. At the same time, many people have a pressing question about how exactly pine trees bloom. This process is characterized by a number of important features.
Can a pine tree bloom?
No one questions the flowering of deciduous trees in nature. However, the course of this process in conifers has a number of features. These thorny plants do not produce beautiful and delicate petals.They are supplemented only by similar inflorescences in the form of cones and spikelets, which ensure procreation.
Such elements have no aroma because they do not require attracting insects. That is why they are devoid of bright colors. For pollination, the wind is enough to transfer pollen from one inflorescence to another.
Pine is characterized by heterosexual flowers, which allows the crop to form seeds. Male flowers form light yellow spikelets, and female flowers form cones. The second ones include an axis and a rod to which the scales are attached. They contain the rudiments of seeds with eggs. That is why plants are called gymnosperms.
Each male cone includes pollen sacs below, in which pollen ripening occurs. In essence, male spikelets are clusters of small cones, but they are smaller in size compared to female ones. At the same time, female cones are characterized by seed buds that remain dots.
Female flowers have a less attractive appearance. At the same time, the shape of the cones differs slightly depending on the type of crop. However, most often they look like elongated curved cones. Their shade varies and depends on the stage of ripening. So, there are green, brown, light pink, red inflorescences.
When does this happen
Most often, arrows of future inflorescences form on pine trees in the middle or end of April. They bloom within a month, until the air temperature exceeds +20 degrees. Flowering usually stops by mid-June.Since spring temperatures vary depending on the region, flowering pine trees can be observed at different periods. In the north, flowering ends later - at the end of June.
The flowering process continues until the leaves appear on ordinary trees. Thanks to this, the process of spreading pollen from wind-pollinated pine trees is not disrupted. This is considered an important manifestation of the equilibrium mechanism in nature.
How does flowering occur in different varieties?
The flowering characteristics of different types of pine trees often coincide. However, this process also has some peculiarities.
Ordinary
Scots pine blooms from late May to early June. The plant is characterized by naked monoecious flowers that form fruits. During the flowering process, young needles also bloom on the pine tree. Male inflorescences form a kind of spikelets, and female inflorescences form small oval-shaped cones. It is worth considering that male and female inflorescences are located on different branches. Moreover, they are located at the very tips. Due to this, the needles do not interfere with the pollination process.
Veymutova
This crop grows in mountainous areas. Its flowering begins in the first half of April and ends by the end of May. The cones of the culture look like small cylinders. They resemble spruce inflorescences, but are characterized by slightly larger sizes. Weymouth pine has many subspecies, which differ in the appearance of cones, spikelets and needles.
Kedrovaya
This large noble tree blooms in mid-autumn. Both male and female cones may be present on the same plant. At the same time, male fruits resemble small barrels surrounded by needles, while female fruits are large and form bunches. Their dimensions are 10 centimeters.During the flowering process, the scales of the female fruits open. Thanks to this, pollen penetrates inside and ensures the fertilization process.
Mountain
Flowering of this crop is observed from May to June. Mountain pine blooms in the same way as ordinary pine. Male spikelets are yellow in color, while female spikelets are purple. The cones are characterized by a round and ovoid shape and a light brown color. On 1 branch there are 3-4 cones, which open in winter. The tree begins to bloom quite early - at 6-9 years. Moreover, it is characterized by annual fruiting. Seed development begins at a temperature of +18-20 degrees.
Pine flowering is characterized by a number of distinctive features. Moreover, this process differs depending on the variety and variety of crop.
