Cone-Bearing Plants and Seed Spreading

Some plants, like pine trees, make seeds in cones instead of flowers.

Male cones: These have pollen.
Female cones: These have eggs.
Animals and the wind help move pollen from the male cones to the female cones.
When seeds form in female cones, some drop to the ground to grow into new plants.

Pine trees in Florida include:

Loblolly pines
Slash pines
Sand pines
Other cone-bearing plants in Florida are bald cypress trees and cycads.

Every plant has a life cycle, which includes dying.

After plants make seeds, the seeds need to find places to grow. There are many ways seeds spread:

Some plants scatter their own seeds:
- For example, peas grow inside a pod that bursts when it gets dry, making peas fall out to grow into new plants.
Wind spreads seeds:
- Dandelion seeds are light and float away in the wind.
- The seeds of pine trees can also be spread by the wind.
Animals help spread seeds:
- Seeds can get stuck in animal fur or clothes and fall off in a new place.
- For instance, squirrels move acorns (which are seeds from oak trees) from one place to another.
- Some fruits that animals eat have seeds inside them. After the animals digest the fruit, the seeds are dropped in their waste.
Water can scatter seeds:
- Coconuts fall into the ocean and can float to find new land.
- Mangrove seeds can also float until they reach a good spot to grow.

How are the life cycles of an orange tree and a pine tree similar and different?