Grey Alder Fruit - Alnus incana

Alder fruits form if female catkins (flower spikes) get fertilized. The fruits resemble cones, even though they are not. True cones are found only on conifers (gymnosperms). Grey alder is an angiosperm (flowering plant), not a gymnosperm.

There are some similiarities between the two, though. Both conifer cones and alder fruits are woody, contain seeds, and develop from catkins. However, the actual seeds are very different. Angiosperms produce seeds that are enclosed in a covering, while gymnosperms have naked seeds (without a covering).

Habitat: Bog