At first glance, this object appears to be a seed. On closer inspection, however, its true nature can be observed.
The pinecone is an ancient planning document – woody petals mirror branches of the parent tree, rising conical from a central stem.
Once planted, the pinecone expands almost exponentially to create something of a cloning facility. By using the resources of the resulting tree, the pinecone self-replicates and the population expands.
The pinecone is a blueprint for a forest.