noun
- A leaf or leaf-like structure that bears megasporangia (structures containing megaspores) in seed plants and certain ferns.
Usage: botanical; technical term used in plant biology and botany
Examples
- The megasporophyll in flowering plants develops into the carpel, which contains the ovules.
- In gymnosperms, the megasporophyll is the scale that bears the megasporangium.
- Botanists study the structure of megasporophylls to understand plant reproduction.
- The megasporophyll differs from the microsporophyll in both structure and function.
- In ferns, the megasporophyll produces the larger megaspores used in sexual reproduction.