protonema

American  

[proh-tuh-nee-muh] / ˌproʊ təˈni mə /

noun

Botany.

• protonemata
  plural

1. a primary, usually filamentous structure produced by the germination of the spore in mosses and certain related plants, and from which the leafy plant which bears the sexual organs arises as a lateral or terminal shoot.

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protonema British  

/ ˌprəʊtəˈniːmə /

noun

1. a branched threadlike structure that grows from a moss spore and eventually develops into the moss plant

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protonema Scientific  

/ prō′tə-nē′mə /

• protonemata
  plural

1. The green filamentous or flat, thallus-like structure that grows from the germinated spores of liverworts and mosses and eventually gives rise to a mature gametophyte.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• protonemal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• protonemata
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of protonema

1855–60; < New Latin < Greek prōto- proto- + nêma thread

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

protonema

In addition to the leaves the stem often bears hair-like structures of different kinds, some of which correspond to modified branches of protonema.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

The protonema forms a flat, lobed, thalloid structure attached to the soil by rhizoids, and the plants arise from marginal cells.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

The protonema is always a well-marked stage in the life-history.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

The formation of the moss-plant on the protonema is always from a single cell and is similar in all mosses.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

In Ephemerum also we may probably regard the relation of the small plants to the protonema as a primitive one.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

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