megasporophyll

A megasporophyll is a plant structure that bears ovules, which develop into seeds. It is a type of sporophyll, which is a leaf that bears spores. In heterosporous plants, there are two types of sporophylls: microsporophylls that bear microspores (which develop into male gametophytes) and megasporophylls that bear megaspores (which develop into female gametophytes).1

In cycads, for example, male plants produce pollen on microsporophylls, and female plants produce ovules on megasporophylls. These sporophylls are often arranged in cones, called strobili. In angiosperms (flowering plants), the stamens (male reproductive organs) are homologous to microsporophylls, and the carpels (female reproductive organs) are homologous to megasporophylls.21