Stangeria eriopus male cones

The seed and pollen cones of Stangeria eriopus grow all year round on separate plants of this dioecious species. The male (pollen) cones shown here are narrow and nearly cylindrical, tapering to their rounded tips. The cone grows solitary on a stout stalk from the stem. Numerous grey-green spirally arranged scales, small and overlapping tightly, form the cone surface at this stage in the photo.

The plant is said to cone within five years, grown from seed (Van Wyk, et al, 1997; Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Wikipedia; www.pacsoa.org.au).