 The male (pollen) cones are 5–8 mm long, grouped in lines along the underside of a shoot.The female (seed) cones are single or grouped two to 15 together on short stems; minute at first, they mature in about 18 months to a drupe-like structure with the single large nut-like seed 1.5–4 cm long surrounded by a fleshy covering, green to purple at full maturity.Natural dispersal is thought to be aided by squirrels which bury the seeds for a winter food source; any seeds left uneaten are then able to germinate.