noun
- the diploid phase in the life cycle of plants that produces spores through meiosis
Usage: biology; botany
Examples
- Ferns have prominent sporophytes that we recognize as the leafy plants.
- The sporophytes of mosses are small structures that grow on the gametophytes.
- In flowering plants, the sporophytes are the dominant generation.
- Sporophytes produce spores that develop into gametophytes.
- The alternation of generations involves both sporophytes and gametophytes.
- Most land plants have sporophytes that are larger than their gametophytes.