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Which stage of a plant life cycle produces spores?
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Plant reproductive system
A large bumblebee (Bombus species) pollinating a teasel flower head (Dipsacus species).
In the life cycle of a plant, the stage that produces spores is known as the sporophyte.
This process is part of the alternation of generations, a cycle in which plants alternate between a sexual phase and an asexual phase. The sporophyte is the asexual, diploid generation that produces spores through meiosis. These spores subsequently develop into the gametophyte, which is the haploid sexual generation responsible for producing gametes.12