Seed Type

• The "scales" on a pine cone are called modified leaves.Zedcor Wholly Owned/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
  
  Pine cones grow on coniferous trees, trees with needle-shaped leaves that keep in moisture. Only female pine cones contain seeds; male cones produce pollen. The seeds are underneath the woody "scales," on the upper surface of the scales.
  
  

Open and Closed

• A closed pine cone still holds its developing seedlings.Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Open cones have dropped their seeds. Open cones appear that their scales are flipped up or lifted open. Closed cones, where the "caales" are still down like blinds, still contain the pine cone seeds.
  
  

Male

• Open pine cones have already dispersed their seeds to a female.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  The "male" cones on a pine tree are mostly located in clusters at the ends of lower branches. Male cones take years to develop, as do females cones. The woody scale are considered modified leaves, called "microsporophylls." Each microsporophyll holds a microsporangium, a microspore-producing structure which helps create new generations of pines.
  
  

Pollination

• Pollination occurs when male cone spores transfer to the female cone. Each micro-spore divides to form a four-celled male gametophyte, or pollen, which contains two sperm nuclei. The sperm nuclei have air sacs attached to them so that they can float in the air. During pollination, the whole male gametophyte -- or cellular genetic code for a plant -- transfers to the female cone in the wind.
  
  

Female

• Female cones are located higher up in the tree, on the side branches.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  "Female" pine cones are typically located higher up on a pine tree and take years to fully develop. Like the male cone, a female cone's modified leaves, or scales, produce spores, except females create "megaspores." The spores develop on two areas beneath the woody scale. These areas are called the megasporangia and the ovule. The ovule area has a small hole near the end of the ovule wall where sperm can enter.
  
  

Ripening Time

• Cones ripen in various seasons, depending on the type of pine and the climate. In general, most pine cone seeds ripen -- are ready to plant or disperse themselves -- anytime from late August to October.