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archegonium
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A green thalloid liverwort with a single stalk-like archegonium, the female reproductive organ, emerging upright from its surface. Oedogonium algae Detailed botanical diagram showing various fern gametophytes and related structures, including labeled spores, prothallium forms, archegonia, antheridia, rhizoids, meristems, and developmental stages.
Learn about the history and reproduction of these strange-looking plants
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perianth
gametangium
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archegonium
archegonium The female reproductive organ, or archegonium, emerging from a thalloid liverwort.

archegonium

plant anatomy
Also known as: archegonia, oogonia
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

archegonium, the female reproductive organ in ferns and mosses. An archegonium also occurs in some gymnosperms, e.g., cycads and conifers. A flask-shaped structure, it consists of a neck, with one or more layers of cells, and a swollen baseā€”the venterā€”which contains the egg. Neck-canal cells, located above the egg, disappear as the archegonium matures, thus producing a passage for entry of the sperm. The sperm are produced in the corresponding male reproductive organ, the antheridium.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.