sporophyll
(noun)
the equivalent to a leaf in ferns and mosses that bears the sporangia
Examples of sporophyll in the following topics:
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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.
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Life Cycle of a Conifer
- Pine trees are conifers (cone bearing) and carry both male and female sporophylls on the same mature sporophyte.
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Angiosperm Flowers
- Flowers are modified leaves, or sporophylls, organized around a central stalk.
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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 .