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Glite Dictionary
megasporophyll

megasporophyll

9.9
A leaf-like part of some non-flowering plants that holds the cases that make female spores
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛɡəˈspɔrəˌfɪl/
  • Specialized
: megasporófilo
  • Each megasporophyll produces megaspores that develop into the female gametophyte.

Examples

  • The female cones of cycads are composed of tightly packed megasporophylls.

  • Botanists observed the arrangement of megasporophylls in various gymnosperm species.

  • The megasporophyll is crucial for reproduction in certain plants.

  • Some ferns have multiple megasporophylls on their fronds.

  • Each megasporophyll bears the megasporangia that produce female spores in non-flowering plants.

  • The arrangement of megasporophylls in the cone of a cycad is essential for the reproductive process.

  • In gymnosperms, the megasporophyll plays a vital role in the production of female gametophytes.

Surface Forms

megasporophyll singular
megasporophylls plural

Morphology

megasporophyll = sporophyll (semi-transparent) = mega + sporo + phyll

The word is formed transparently with the classical elements meaning 'large', 'spore', and 'leaf', but the full botanical term is specialized and not fully predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

The word megasporophyll comes from three parts: mega- meaning 'large', sporo- meaning 'spore', and -phyll meaning 'leaf'. So a megasporophyll is literally a 'large-spore-leaf', a leaf-like part that carries the large female spores in plants that do not have flowers.