1. the diploid phase in the life cycle of a plant that produces spores
Usage: biology

Examples

• The fern sporophyte is the large, leafy plant we typically see.
• In mosses, the sporophyte is the small stalk that grows from the gametophyte.
• The sporophyte generation alternates with the gametophyte generation in plant reproduction.
• Flowering plants spend most of their life cycle in the sporophyte stage.
• The sporophyte produces spores through meiosis in specialized structures.
• Students examined the sporophyte under a microscope during biology class.