strobilus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek στρόβιλος (stróbilos). According to Liddell and Scott, 8th ed. 1882: of various meanings such as a pine-cone, something screwed up into a lump like a pine-cone, a pine tree and more.

strobilus (plural strobili)

1. (botany) A cone-shaped fruiting body in general
2. (botany) More particularly a more-or-less cone-shaped fruiting body of any of various gymnosperms and vascular sporophytes. According to source and context it might refer to a structure bearing either seeds or spores, that might or might not be seen as an infructescence; usage has varied arbitrarily among authors during the last two centuries.
   • 2006, Anil Kumar, Botany for Degree Pteridophyta‎, S. Chand Publishing, →ISBN:

     The strobilus in Selaginella is the sporangia-bearing region of the sporophyte. The sporangia arise in the axils of leaves called the sporophylls.

   • 2009, Claire G. Williams, Conifer Reproductive Biology‎, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN:

     As a term, female strobilus refers to the stage prior to pollination... The strobilus emerges slowly from its bud then its scales flex open. Once pollinated the strobilus now becomes a conelet. At fertilization the conelet becomes a cone.

3. (zoology) A layered reproductive stage in jellyfish, in which the swimming medusa form is produced.

• strobilar
• strobilate