microstrobilus

…the male pollen cones, called microstrobili, contain reduced leaves called microsporophylls. Microsporangia, or pollen sacs, are borne on the lower surfaces of the microsporophylls. The number of microsporangia may vary from two in many conifers to hundreds in some cycads. Within the microsporangia are cells which undergo meiotic division to…

A pollen-bearing cone, the microstrobilus, consists of a central axis on which are borne, in a close helical arrangement, reduced fertile leaves (the microsporophylls). On the lower surfaces of the microsporophylls are borne elongated microsporangia; two microsporangia per microsporophyll is common, but some genera have more. The ovulate cone,…

The male cone, or microstrobilus, is usually smaller than the female cone (megastrobilus) and is essentially an aggregation of many small structures (microsporophylls) that encase the pollen in microsporangia.