The flask-shaped female reproductive organ in non-seed plants like mosses, ferns, and liverworts that contains the egg cell. It has a narrow neck and a swollen base where fertilization occurs.
From Greek 'archegonos' meaning 'first-born' or 'original', reflecting its role as the ancestral type of female reproductive structure in plants. The term was coined in the 1850s as botanists studied the reproductive organs of primitive plants and recognized their fundamental importance in plant evolution.
Archegonia are like microscopic castles with moats - they're designed to protect the precious egg cell while still allowing the right sperm to find their way in! The narrow neck acts as a selective barrier, and the whole structure can actually guide swimming sperm cells through chemical signals, making it one of nature's earliest examples of biological GPS.
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