prothallium
Sign in to savethumb|right|Prothallus (prothallium) of the fern Polypodium vulgare seen under a light microscope.
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Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Alternation of generations
- Theoretical advantages of alternation of generations
- In lichens
- References
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thumb|right|Prothallus (prothallium) of the fern Polypodium vulgare seen under a light microscope.
A prothallus, or prothallium, (from Latin pro = forwards and Greek θαλλος (thallos) = twig) is usually the gametophyte stage in the life of a fern or other pteridophyte. Occasionally, the term is also used to describe the young gametophyte of a liverwort or peat moss as well. In lichens, it refers to the region of the thallus that is free of algae.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “prothallium” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.