A cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is
an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta (conifers) that
contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is
the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which
produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous
even at full maturity. The name "cone" derives from the fact that
the shape in some species resembles a geometric cone. The
individual plates of a cone are known as scales.
The male cone (microstrobilus or pollen cone) is structurally
similar across all conifers, differing only in small ways (mostly
in scale arrangement) from species to species. Extending out from a
central axis are microsporophylls (modified leaves). Under each
microsporophyll is one or several microsporangia (pollen sacs).
The female cone (megastrobilus, seed cone, or ovulate cone)
contains ovules which, when fertilized by pollen, become seeds. The
female cone structure varies more markedly between the different
conifer families, and is often crucial for the identification of
many species of conifers