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Archegonia

An archegonium is produced by a multiplication of cells which form a flask-shaped body. The lower or swollen part of the flask contains an egg-cell (ovum) and the upper portion is drawn out to form the neck which in the early stages is filled with a layer of cells. Later the chain of cells becomes a mucilaginous jelly, which swelling with water, bursts open the lid of the neck, and lying on the summ it arrests the sperm cells which pass that way in the water, and directs their course down the neck of the flask to the egg-cell (ovum) with which they are to blend.

The archegonia and antheridia are developed among the leaves of the moss-plant. As has been stated before, they may be on separate plants (dioicous, of two households), or they may both be separated on different parts of one plant (autoicous), or side by side on the same plant (paroicous) or on the same part of the same plant (synoicous)-Monoicous-one household-is a general term including the last three forms.