Pine trees are gymnosperms, non-flowering plants that bear naked seeds. They are also monoecious, the reproductive cells of both males and females being present on each tree. These cells, or gametes, are housed in the widely familiar pinecone, also known as a strobilus. In nature’s attempt to reduce self-fertilization, cones are usually located in different areas of the tree depending on their sex. Female cones are typically found in the crown of the pine above the male strobili, greatly reducing the possibility that they can become fertilized by the wind-born male gametes bore on their own tree.