Megaspores, also called
macrospores, are a type of
spore that is present in
heterosporous plants. These plants have two spore types, megaspores and
microspores. Generally speaking, the megaspore, or large spore, germinates into a female
gametophyte, which produces
egg cells. These are fertilized by
sperm produced by the male gametophyte developing from the microspore. Heterosporous plants include the following: