sporophore

American  

[spawr-uh-fawr, spohr-uh-fohr] / ˈspɔr əˌfɔr, ˈspoʊr əˌfoʊr /

noun

Mycology.

1. a fungus hypha specialized to bear spores.

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sporophore British  

/ ˈspɔːrəʊˌfɔː, ˈspɒ- /

noun

1. an organ in fungi that produces or carries spores, esp the massive spore-bearing body of mushrooms, etc

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Other Word Forms

• sporophoric
  adjective
• sporophorous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sporophore

First recorded in 1840–50; sporo- + -phore

Example Sentences

The sporophore is obsolete when the spore-bearing hyphae are not sharply distinct from the mycelium, simple when the constituent hyphae are isolated, and compound when the latter are conjoined.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

The simple sporophore does not necessarily terminate in conidia, however.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

Stump of Norway Spruce, with a sporophore of polyporus annosus several years old; the inner portions of the stump wholly decayed.

From Wood and Forest by Noyes, William

Most of Basidiomycetes are characterized by the large sporophore on which the basidia with its basidiospores are borne.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

Since in such cases the sporophore bears sexual cells, they may be conveniently termed gametophores.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various