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Glite Dictionary
🍄 Spore structure 🌿 Fern spore cluster
sorus

sorus

1 9.9
A group of tiny spore cases on the underside of a fern leaf
  • noun
  • /ˈsɔrəs/
  • Specialized
: sorus
  • The underside of the fern was covered in rows of sori, each packed with tiny spores.

Examples

  • Botanists used a magnifying glass to study the structure of each sorus on the frond.

  • The sorus is located on the underside of the fern leaf.

  • A sorus can appear as a small brown spot on the back of a mature fern leaf.

  • I found a sorus while examining the fern.

  • A sorus can appear as a small brown spot on the back of a mature fern leaf.

  • Botanists used a magnifying glass to study the structure of each sorus on the frond.

  • The underside of the fern was covered in clusters of sori, with each cluster containing numerous spores.

Surface Forms

sorus singular
sori plural

Etymology

The word sorus comes from the Greek word soros, meaning 'heap' or 'pile', because on ferns the spore cases sit together like a small pile under the leaf. That is why a sorus is a cluster of spore cases you can see as brown spots on the underside of a fern frond.