The carpogonium (plural ''carpogonia'') is the female organ in the
Red Algae (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