Talk:Sporophyll
 | This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
I modified the page to add more detail and emphasize homology of structure across vascular plants. In the earlier version there was also one error--in Ophioglossum the sporangia are born on a specialized portion of a single leaf, rather than on specialized sporophylls. In this case the sporangium-bearing part of the leaf is usually called a sporophore and the vegetative portion a trophophore, with the whole leaf being a sporophyll, but this is unnecessary detail for current purposes... Paalexan 00:01, 17 November 2005 (UTC)
A few issues
[edit]The ovuliferous scales of conifers should not be called sporophylls (they are modified stems).
The sporangia of Equisetum is interpreted as being terminal on a shoot (sporangiophore), not on a sporophyll.
It would be unusual though technically true to call a stamen or carpel a sporophyll.
There are other issues.
I recommend rewriting this page to be 1) more accurate 2) to include a brief mention of the distribution of sporophylls in the various major lineages of vascular plants.
I will work on this by and by.