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Where are gymnosperm seeds usually found on a cone?

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Gymnosperm Pine cone and exposed seeds of the pinyon pine (*Pinus edulis*). Pinyon pines are gymnosperms and bear their edible seeds, known as pine nuts, in protective cones instead of fruit.

In gymnosperms, seeds are not enclosed within an ovary but are instead found exposed on specialized leaflike structures known as megasporophylls.1

These megasporophylls are typically organized into female cones, or megastrobili. In many conifers, such as pine, the ovules—which develop into seeds—are borne in pairs on the upper (adaxial) surface of these scales. Because these seeds are not protected by an ovary wall, they are often referred to as "naked seeds".231