Sporangium - wikipedia Sporangium This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2018 ) Mature sporangium of an Absidia mold Moss sporangia Sporangia ( clustered in sori ) on a fern leaf Scanning electron micrograph of fern leptosporangia Equisetum arvense strobilus cut open to reveal sporangia A sporangium ( pl., sporangia ) ( modern Latin, from Greek σπόρος ( sporos ) ' spore ' + αγγείον ( angeion ) ' vessel ' ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle. Sporangia can produce spores by mitosis, but in nearly all land plants and many fungi, sporangia are the site of meiosis and produce genetically distinct haploid spores. Contents 1 Fungi 2 Land plants 2.1 Eusporangia and leptosporangia 2.2 Synangium 3 Internal structures 4 See also 5 References Fungi This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( August 2016 ) The structure that contains the spores in fungal species. Land plants In mosses, liverworts and hornworts, an unbranched sporophyte produces a single sporangium, which may be quite complex morphologically. Most non-vascular plants, as well as many lycophytes and most ferns, are homosporous ( only one kind of spore is produced ). Some bryophytes, most lycophytes, and some ferns are heterosporous ( two kinds of spores are produced ). These plants produce microspores and megaspores, which give rise to gametophytes that are functionally male or female, respectively. In some cases, both kinds of spores are produced in the same sporangium, and may even develop together as part of a spore tetrad. However, in most heterosporous plants there are two kinds of sporangia, termed microsporangia and megasporangia. A few ferns ( Salviniaceae and Marsileaceae ) and some lycophytes ( the genera Selaginella and Isoetes and the extinct lepidodendrids ) are heterosporous with two kinds of sporangia, as are all the seed plants. Sporangia can be terminal ( on the tips ) or lateral ( placed along the side ) of stems or associated with leaves. In ferns, sporangia are typically found on the abaxial surface ( underside ) of the leaf and are densely aggregated into clusters called sori. Sori may be covered by a structure called an indusium. Some ferns have their sporangia scattered along reduced leaf segments or along ( or just in from ) the margin of the leaf. Lycophytes, in contrast, bear their sporangia on the adaxial surface ( the upper side ) of leaves or laterally on stems. Leaves that bear sporangia are called sporophylls. If the plant is heterosporous, the sporangia - bearing leaves are distinguished as either microsporophylls or megasporophylls. In seed plants, sporangia are typically located within strobili or flowers. Cycads form their microsporangia on microsporophylls which are aggregated into strobili. Megasporangia are formed within ovules, which are borne on megasporophylls, which are aggregated into strobili on separate plants ( all cycads are dioecious ). Conifers typically bear their microsporangia on microsporophylls aggregated into papery pollen strobili, and the ovules, are located on modified stem axes forming compound ovuliferous cone scales. Flowering plants contain microsporangia in the anthers of stamens ( typically four microsporangia per anther ) and megasporangia inside ovules inside ovaries. In all seed plants, spores are produced by meiosis and develop into gametophytes while still inside the sporangium. The microspores become microgametophytes ( pollen ). The megaspores become megagametophytes ( embryo sacs ). Eusporangia and leptosporangia Categorized based on developmental sequence, eusporangia and leptosporangia are differentiated in the vascular plants. In a leptosporangium, found only in ferns, development involves a single initial cell that becomes the stalk, wall, and spores within the sporangium. There are around 64 spores in a leptosporangium. In a eusporangium, characteristic of all other vascular plants and some primitive ferns, the initials are in a layer ( i.e., more than one ). A eusporangium is larger ( hence contain more spores ), and its wall is multi-layered. Although the wall may be stretched and damaged, resulting in only one cell - layer remaining. Synangium A cluster of sporangia that have become fused in development is called a synangium. This structure is most prominent in Psilotum and Marattiaceae such as Christensenia, Danaea and Marattia. Internal structures A columella ( pl. columellae ) is a sterile ( non-reproductive ) structure that extends into and supports the sporangium. In fungi, the columella, which may be branched or unbranched, may be of fungal or host origin. Secotium species have a simple, unbranched columella, while in Gymnoglossum species, the columella is branched. In some Geastrum species, the columella appears as an extension of the stalk into the spore mass ( gleba ). See also Microsporangium Archegonium Antheridium For bacteria - related information see endospore Spore formation References Jump up ^ `` sporangium - Definition of sporangium in English by Oxford Dictionaries ''. Oxford Dictionaries - English. Jump up ^ Rost, Barbour, Stocking, Murphy, 2006Plant Biology, 2nd EditionThompson Brooks / Cole Jump up ^ Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA ( 2008 ). Dictionary of the Fungi ( 10th ed. ). Wallingford : CABI. p. 161. ISBN 978 - 0 - 85199 - 826 - 8. Botany History of botany Subdisciplines Plant systematics Ethnobotany Paleobotany Plant anatomy Plant ecology Phytogeography Geobotany Flora Phytochemistry Plant pathology Bryology Phycology Floristics Dendrology Plant groups Algae Archaeplastida Bryophyte Non-vascular plants Vascular plants Spermatophytes Pteridophyte Gymnosperm Angiosperm Plant morphology ( glossary ) Plant cells Cell wall Phragmoplast Plastid Plasmodesma Vacuole Tissues Meristem Vascular tissue Vascular bundle Ground tissue Mesophyll Cork Wood Storage organs Vegetative Root Rhizoid Bulb Rhizome Shoot Stem Leaf Petiole Cataphyll Bud Sessility Reproductive ( Flower ) Flower development Inflorescence Umbel Raceme Bract Pedicellate Flower Whorl Floral symmetry Floral diagram Floral formula Receptacle Hypanthium ( Floral cup ) Perianth Tepal Petal Sepal Sporophyll Gynoecium Ovary Ovule Stigma Archegonium Androecium Stamen Staminode Pollen Tapetum Gynandrium Gametophyte Sporophyte Plant embryo Fruit Fruit anatomy Berry Capsule Seed Seed dispersal Endosperm Surface structures Epicuticular wax Plant cuticle Epidermis Stoma Nectary Trichome Prickle Plant physiology Materials Nutrition Photosynthesis Chlorophyll Plant hormone Transpiration Turgor pressure Bulk flow Aleurone Phytomelanin Sugar Sap Starch Cellulose Plant growth and habit Secondary growth Woody plants Herbaceous plants Habit Vines Lianas Shrubs Subshrubs Trees Succulent plants Reproduction Evolution Ecology Alternation of generations Sporangium Spore Microsporangia Microspore Megasporangium Megaspore Pollination Pollinators Pollen tube Double fertilization Germination Evolutionary development Evolutionary history timeline Hardiness zone Plant taxonomy History of plant systematics Herbarium Biological classification Botanical nomenclature Botanical name Correct name Author citation International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants ( ICN ) - for Cultivated Plants ( ICNCP ) Taxonomic rank International Association for Plant Taxonomy ( IAPT ) Plant taxonomy systems Cultivated plant taxonomy Citrus taxonomy cultigen cultivar Group grex Practice Agronomy Floriculture Forestry Horticulture Lists Related topics Botanical terms Botanists by author abbreviation Botanical expedition Portal WikiProject Microbiology : Fungus Structure Reproduction / spore teleomorph / sexual : Zygospore Ascospore / Ascus Basidiospore / Basidium / Teliospore anamorph / asexual : Sporangium Conidium Chlamydospore Oidium Pycniospore Other Hypha Haustorium Mycelium Cell wall Growth patterns Dimorphic fungi Mold Yeast Mushroom Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sporangium&oldid=842448600 '' Categories : Plant anatomy Fungal morphology and anatomy Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2018 All articles needing additional references Articles to be expanded from August 2016 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Беларуская Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Kreyòl ayisyen Кыргызча Македонски മലയാളം Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Runa Simi Русский Simple English Svenska Українська 中文 29 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 14 : 44. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where are the sporangia of a fern located
Answer: typically found on the abaxial surface (underside) of the leaf