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Fruits Without Flower, Possible? Here Is The Answer!

While flowering is typically a crucial chapter in a plant’s life story, there are also botanical miracles that manage to bear fruits without ever unfurling a single flower.

Generally, the fruits that develop without a flower are due to parthenogenesis, which occurs due to genetic modification in the plants. However, you can find trees that produce seeds without flowers including Conifer, Cycads, Ginkgo, Araucaria, etc.

In such trees, there is a unique adaptation to produce the seeds and disperse them without the help of flowers.

So, go through this article to know about the fruits that grow without a flower and the non-flowering, seed-producing tree varieties in detail.

Can You Get Fruit Without Flower?

Basically, the plant produces flowers before producing fruits. Those flowers pollinate with the help of insects, wind, etc., and further develop into fruits.

Thus, fruits are the result of the fusion of male and female gametes, i.e. fertilization. All the fertilized fruits contain seeds inside them.

A pine cone in hand
Pine produces fruit-like cones without flowering.

So, most of the fruits grow from the flowers. Flowering plants compulsorily produce flowers before fruiting.

However, in some conditions, you can find fruits that grow without pollinating flowers. Such fruits do not contain seeds.

So, you can get fruits without a flower by the process of parthenogenesis. Naturally, parthenogenesis occurs due to the genetic modification in the plant.

5+ Trees Without Flowers

Besides parthenogenesis, there are a variety of tree species that never produce flower. However, they do not produce fruits either.

The fruit-like parts growing in those trees are actually naked seeds. So, the trees that produce naked seeds without flowering are Gymnosperms.

1. Conifer Trees

Instead of pulpy fruits, Conifers like Pine, Abies, etc., bear conical naked seeds. These seeds bear nutty pollens inside them.

These trees bear both male and female cones. Male cones release pollens that reach within female cones for fertilization.

After fertilization, the ovules inside the female cone turn into seeds. Gradually, you can see new plants forming from the seed.

Thus, the life cycle of Conifers continues without flowers. Although the cones look like fruits, they aren’t actual fruits.

2. Cycad Trees

Like the Conifers, Cycad trees also have male and female cones with different functions.

However, you cannot find male cones in the tree where female cone is growing. You have to search for different male trees.

The female cones are bigger and wider in comparison to smaller male cones with pollen. The pollens release and lie upon the female cone for fertilization.

So, the seeds you see under the fleshy layer of the female cone are due to the fertilization of male and female gametes.

3. Ginkgo Trees

Ginkgo trees have pulpy, yellowish-brown seeds upon maturity. These seeds may confuse you with fruits due to their fleshy nature.

These seeds are borne without flowers upon fertilization. The outer fleshy part contains naked seeds.

So, you can also get Ginkgo seeds without flowering. However, these are not the true fruits but have nutty nature.

Remember that the outer fleshy part is not edible. But you can consume the seeds as they are traditionally used by ancient people as food.

4. Araucaria Trees

Araucaria or Monkey Puzzle trees are also from Gymnosperm that do not bear flower or fruits but the naked seeds inside them.

This tree produces large, edible, fruit-like seeds without producing a single flower. These seeds are also called Bunya Nuts, which are edible.

These nuts are not true nuts. The name nuts is due to the crunchy texture and nutty flavor of the seeds.

So, Bunya nuts are the seeds in the Araucaria cones that develop without flowering. The nuts are the food source for indigenous people in Australia.

5. Juniper Trees

Juniper trees bear small, round berries. These berries are green when young but turn reddish brown to blueish black upon maturity.

These berries are not fruits but the female cones of Junipers. You can also find male cones with a brownish color.

However, male cones with pollen look very different from female cones. The pollens react towards the female cones and produce seeds upon fertilization.

So, the seeds develop into a new Juniper tree. This tree does not need flowers for pollination.

6. Yew Trees

Yew trees are different from other gymnosperms as they produce small red berries on the branches without producing flowers.

These berries turn bright orange upon maturity and bear a single seed in the center. However, they are not the true fruits with a single seed but the structure that holds the seeds.

Taxus with red fruit like seeds
Taxus produces red berries that are not true fruits.

These berries are sweet and edible and attract birds. The birds disperse the seeds after consuming the fleshy portion.

So, the seeds mature into a new tree and produce berries without bearing flowers in Yew trees.

From Editorial Team

Other Trees That Bear Seeds Without Flowers!

Besides the above-mentioned varieties, the trees that bear seeds without flowers include Fir, Podocarpus, Redwood, Cypress, Spruce, and many more.

These trees are nonflowering varieties that come under lower plants in comparison to flowering Angiosperms.

However, you cannot find non-flowering higher plants. If you inspect deeply, the so-called non-flowering angiosperms also bear small, inconspicuous flowers.

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