sporophyll

(noun)

the equivalent to a leaf in ferns and mosses that bears the sporangia

Related Terms

Examples of sporophyll in the following topics:

  • Characteristics of Gymnosperms

    • Their sporangia (receptacle in which asexual spores are formed) are found on sporophylls, plated scale-like structures that together make up cones.
    • After this process is completed, the individual sporophylls separate (the cone breaks apart) and float in the wind to a habitable place.

  • Life Cycle of a Conifer

    • Pine trees are conifers (cone bearing) and carry both male and female sporophylls on the same mature sporophyte.

  • Angiosperm Flowers

    • Flowers are modified leaves, or sporophylls, organized around a central stalk.

  • Ferns and Other Seedless Vascular Plants

    • In club mosses, the sporophyte gives rise to sporophylls arranged in strobili, cone-like structures that give the class its name .