Spo"ro*phore (?), n. [Spore + Gr.
&?; to bear.] (Bot.) (a) A placenta.
(b) That alternately produced form of certain
cryptogamous plants, as ferns, mosses, and the like, which is
nonsexual, but produces spores in countless numbers. In ferns it is
the leafy plant, in mosses the capsule. Cf.
Oöphore.
Spo"ro*phore (?), n. [Spore + Gr.
&?; to bear.] (Bot.) (a) A placenta.
(b) That alternately produced form of certain
cryptogamous plants, as ferns, mosses, and the like, which is
nonsexual, but produces spores in countless numbers. In ferns it is
the leafy plant, in mosses the capsule. Cf.
Oöphore.