Three cells located at the end of the embryo sac opposite to the egg apparatus in flowering plants. These cells often degenerate after fertilization and their exact function remains somewhat mysterious, though they may play roles in nutrition or signaling.
From Greek 'antipodes' meaning 'with feet opposite' or 'on the opposite side of the earth', referring to their position at the opposite pole from the egg cell. The botanical usage emerged in the late 19th century when the structure of the embryo sac was first detailed.
Antipodal cells are botany's mystery guests - they show up to the fertilization party but nobody's quite sure what they're supposed to do! In some plants they multiply wildly and seem important, while in others they quietly disappear, making them one of the most enigmatic parts of plant reproduction.
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