The carpogonium (plural ''carpogonia'') is the female organ in the
Red Algae
Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...
(Rhodophyta) which have a highly specialized type of reproduction. It contains the reproductive nucleus. It may contain a number of cells usually without chloroplasts. It shows an elongated process which is the receptive organ for the male gametes.
It gives birth to the
carpospore A carpospore is a diploid spore produced by red algae. After fertilization, the alga's carpogonium The carpogonium (plural ''carpogonia'') is the female organ in the Red Algae (Rhodophyta) which have a highly specialized type of reproduction. It c ...
s.
It may also have hairlike structures called ''trichogynes'' which receive sperm before fertilization takes place.
["trichogyne". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 14 Sep. 2017. Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/trichogyne]
References
Red algae
{{rhodophyta-stub