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How does wind carry pine pollen to female cones?

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Stone pine trees with rounded canopies stand amid low shrubs and flowering yellow bushes in Donana National Park, Huelva province, Andalusia, Spain. — pine A stand of stone pines (*Pinus pinea*) in Doñana National Park near Seville, Spain.

Pine trees rely on wind to transport pollen from male cones to female cones. To facilitate this process, pine pollen grains are equipped with two air bladders, which help them remain buoyant and travel long distances through the air.123

When the pollen reaches a female cone, the cone's scales open to receive the grains. The air bladders on the pollen grains serve a specific biological function: they orient the grains within a pollination droplet exuded by the ovules. Once the pollen is positioned, the droplet is withdrawn back into the ovule, drawing the pollen grain inside so that the pollen tube can penetrate the nucellus and initiate fertilization. This mechanism ensures that the wind-dispersed pollen is correctly aligned to successfully fertilize the ovules.21