I believe it is the 'male cone or pollen cone' called the microsporangiate strobili ... after the pollen from it is dispersed it deteriorates quickly. The pollen is windblown to the immature female cone called megasporangiate strobili, which becomes the pine cone. Pine trees have no flower or fruit.
Ah, so you don't call them flowers? We do, even though they're not. We also call the cones the tree's fruit. Then I've already learned something today.
