Synangium

synangium

[sə′nan·jē·əm]

(botany)

A compound sorus made up of united sporangia.

(vertebrate zoology)

In lower vertebrates, a peripheral arterial trunk from which branches arise.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Synangium

 

in vascular plants, a group of fused organs, or sporangia, in which the spores develop. Synangia are characteristic of the ancient group Psilotophyta, some ferns (especially Marattia), and fernlike gymnosperms (seed ferns). Special types of synangia called microsynangia are found in ancient groups of gymnosperms. Sometimes the term “synangium” is used to describe the half of the anther that is morphologically different from the true synangium.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.