The seed of Banksia spinulosa are stored in woody cones that are held in the canopy of the plant until the follicles split open and release their seed following a fire. In a long-term study of flowering and fruiting in a population of B. spinulosa, we have collected cones that we tagged up to 13 years ago and that have been held on the plant till the present day. We are now testing the germination efficiency of seed from cones of differing ages (1-13 years). In this image you can see that seed produced in the most recent years (2001-2005) has higher (and faster) germination rates than seed produced in previous years.