The lifecycle of this group of plants is not commonly known. It takes 16 - 17 months for the seeds to develop from the time of pollination to maturity. The sexual parts of these plants are distinctly separate, generally immerging in spring from the new buds. Some of these buds will have pollen cones while other buds will have the female seed cones. With an evolutionary timing the pollen cones burst when the seed cones are receptive. Wind carries the pollen from the pollen cone to the seed cone. After pollination the seed cone only partly develops in that season, while the pollen cones dry and are shed. The seed cone winters over going to maturity the following fall.