(n.pl.) A phylum embracing the highest plants or those that produce seeds; the seed plants or flowering plants. They form the most numerous group, including over 120,000 species. In general, the group is characterized by the marked development of the sporophyte, with great differentiation of its parts (root, stem, leaves, flowers, etc.); by the extreme reduction of the gametophyte; and by the development of seeds. All the Spermatophyta are heterosporous; fertilization of the egg cell is either through a pollen tube emitted by the microspore or (in a few gymnosperms) by spermatozoids.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). spermatophyta. Retrieved September 25, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/spermatophyta/definitions/2064727 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "spermatophyta" http://smartdefine.org/spermatophyta/definitions/2064727 (accessed September 25, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, spermatophyta, Smart Define, viewed 25 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/spermatophyta/definitions/2064727>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "spermatophyta" 28 May 2011. Web. 25 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/spermatophyta/definitions/2064727> |