MADS-box genes active in developing pollen cones of Norway spruce (Picea abies) are homologous to the B-class floral homeotic genes in angiosperms
The reproductive organs of conifers, the pollen cones and seed cones, differ in morphology from the angiosperm flower in several fundamental respects. In this report we present evidence to suggest that the two plant groups, in spite of these morphological differences and the long evolutionary distance between them, share important features in regulating the development of the reproductive organs.