Himachal
Travel Trivia
6 Facts That Will Make You Love Pine Cones Even More
Most amazing pine cone facts video
When a pine cone is spotted in a forest, the urge to pick it up is simply irresistible. You take it home and treat it like a treasure.
There is something about the pine cones that draw us towards them. May be it’s their shape, design, color, distinctive aroma or the fact that we go a long way back as they have been held sacred in various world cultures and symbolize spiritual upliftment and enlightenment.
Whatever the reason, we love pine cones and here are 6 facts about them that will make you adore them even more
1. Pine cones are the holders of seeds
So what is the purpose of a pine cone? The prime objective of a pine cone is to protect and keep the seeds of conifers safe. Pine cones close their scales to protect the seeds from cold weather, high wind and animals, who might eat them. They open up and release the seeds when it is warm and hospitable outside. And soon enough a new pine tree sapling sprouts up!
2. Pine cones can stay on a tree for as many as 10 years
You can mark a cone and watch it on the tree for at least next ten years before it falls off to the ground. Even on the ground, cones can keep their scales closed for months and even years.
3. What you see are female cones
There are male cones and there are female cones. Male cones are not easily spotted due to their shorter size and female cones naturally rule the roost. Male cones release the pollen and fertilize the female cones.
4. The third eye pine cone
Pine cones are held sacred across various cultures due to the fact that pineal glands are shaped like them and hence the name. Of the size of a pea, a pine gland is located at the centre of our brain and is linked to our perception of light and it modulates sleep patterns. The pineal gland is considered by many as our biological ‘Third Eye’ and the ‘seat of consciousness’. French Philosopher René Descartes believed pineal gland to be the “seat of the soul”. No wonder pine cones are held sacred.
5. Pine cone and the Pope
Pine cones were important symbols in various ancient cultures because of their spiritual and religious significance. A statue of Aztec goddess ‘Chicomecoatl’ has been depicted offering pine cones and Romans built the ‘Pigna’, almost four meters high bronze pine cone in the Vatican City. The significance of the Pine Cone in Catholic culture can be gauged from the fact that the sacred staff the Pope carries has a pine cone on it. The staff of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god, also had a pine cone.
6. Pine cones and dinosaurs
And even dinosaurs loved them! 65 million years back when Dinosaurs walked the Earth, they munched on pine cones and according to a Yale University research, this is the reason why pine cones bulked up. According to this research, pine cones used to be soft and thin and underwent an evolutionary change and toughened up to protect the seeds from dinosaurs. And everybody knows, who survived in the end.
