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.