sporangium

plural sporangia

1. biologyA case, capsule, or container in which spores are produced by an organism.First known use 1821.

   Asexual reproduction by the production of a bud in place of a sporangium is not uncommon.

   2000, Peter R. Bell, Alan R. Hemsley, Green Plants: Their Origin and Diversity, page 161

   2 more examples

   Scientific explanations include that exposure to light, lack of moisture or absence of food can cause sporangia to form from the plasmodium. At least one of these three conditions has been present every time I've seen sporangia form.

   1993, Sally Stenhouse Kneidel, Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method: Over 100 Hands-on Science Experiments for Children, page 81

   The sporangia, however, are much larger: 3–4 mm long 0.7–1.1 mm in diameter versus only 1–1.5 mm long 0.5–0.8 mm in Corynepteris, and are characteristically banana shaped with a pair of elongate annuli.

   2009, Edith L. Taylor, Thomas N. Taylor, Michael Krings, Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants, page 416

   Synonyms: sporange, spore case, theca, capsule