Definition
oophyte
noun
- The diploid, spore-producing generation in plants with alternation of generations; the sporophyte.
Usage: botany; technical
Examples
- In ferns, the oophyte is the large, leafy plant we typically see in nature.
- The oophyte generation produces spores through meiosis.
- Mosses have a dominant gametophyte and a smaller, dependent oophyte.
- During the plant's life cycle, the oophyte alternates with the gametophyte.
- The oophyte of flowering plants is the mature sporophyte we recognize as the plant body.