External to the vascular bundles is the cortex and finally the epidermis. A second menstematic layer called the cork cambium is located under the epidermis that gives rise to the periderm in woody plants. The roots of a conifer are also arranged in an evstele. They are arranged in bundles called fascicles of two to five depending upon species. They are evergreen and because they can photosynthesize throughout the year, they dominate Northern forests.
Conifers are moneoicious, they have both male and female strobili.
Their microsporangia is located on a sporophyll. Four microspores undergo meoisis to produce a pollen grain, the male haploid gametophyte. The megasporangium called an ovule resides on the megasporohyll. The megaspore mother cell undergoes meoisis to produce four megaspores, but only one reaches maturity to become the gametophyte. The gametophyte contains the ova, the fertlized ovum becomes the seed.