An egg which contains the female genes and is found within the plant ovary – when fertilized, an ovule will grow into a seed.
The ovule (from Latin: ovulum) is a small structure present in a seed plant's floral ovary that gives rise to and contains its female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the integument, forming its outer layer, the nucellus (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the female gametophyte (formed from a haploid megaspore) in its center. The female gametophyte — specifically termed a megagametophyte — is also called the embryo sac in angiosperms. The megagametophyte produces an egg cell for the purpose of fertilization. The ovule is attached to the placenta by a stalk called a "funicle" that nourishes it. On the basis of the relative position of micropyle, body of the ovule, chalaza and funicle, there are six types of ovules.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French ovule (“ovum”), from Latin ōvum (“egg”). Doublet of ovolo.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɒvjuːl/
Noun
ovule (plural ovules)
- (botany) The structure in a plant that develops into a seed after fertilization; the megasporangium of a seed plant with its enclosing integuments.
- (zoology) An immature ovum in mammals.