AusBonsai

As I brushed past a black pine last week I noticed it release a cloud of pollen which means it is in full bloom. To clarify the reproduction cycle of pines here are a few pics.
Pines have separate male and female flowers that look vastly different.
Male flowers are along the sides of the new candles. these male flowers are open and ready to release pollen whenever the wind (or anything else) moves the branch.
Female flowers are tiny and are located at the tip of the new candles. they look big in the photo but are pretty small really.
If the female flowers are pollinated successfully they will develop into cones that will be ripe in about 14 or 15 months.. palmatum 2012 9 1.JPG[/attachment]

Nice one Shibui

Nice big bunches of male flower mate, don't quite get to that extent here. Most will not cone in Brisbane either. Toowoomba and colder areas around Brissy they will go through to seed, but happens sparingly here.

Tony, the male flowers pictured are on a tree in the ground that I planted as a seed producer so flowers are more prolific than potted trees. Quite a few of the potted trees have thm but generally fewer on each candle.
The female flowers pictured are on one in the growing beds but I noticed some on the potted trees as well. I have rarely had cones mature on the potted trees and even if they do the seed is mostly empty.

One of my Black Pines had a female cone but it went missing possibly birds took it off
There was just one right at the top, the plant was recently put into the ground as it was stressed out from potted life.

shibui wrote:Tony, the male flowers pictured are on a tree in the ground that I planted as a seed producer so flowers are more prolific than potted trees. Quite a few of the potted trees have thm but generally fewer on each candle.
The female flowers pictured are on one in the growing beds but I noticed some on the potted trees as well. I have rarely had cones mature on the potted trees and even if they do the seed is mostly empty.

Well bugger me. I always thought you guys got cones down there. Now I am not so jealous.