Definition of "gametophyte" [ga•me•to•phyte]

• Botany The gamete-producing phase in a plant characterized by alternation of generations. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Anthocerotales are a small and very distinct group, in which the gametophyte is a thallus, while the sporogonium possesses a sterile columella and is capable of long-continued growth and spore production."
• "The sexual form, called the gametophyte or prothallia, is a tiny kidney-shaped plant and difficult to find in the wild."
• "Ulva produces isomorphic thalli for its diploid sporophyte and haploid gametophyte."