the female reproductive organ in ferns (fern) and mosses (moss). An archegonium also occurs in some gymnosperms (gymnosperm), e.g., cycads and conifers. A flask-shaped structure, it consists of a neck, with one or more layers of cells, and a swollen base—the venter—which contains the egg. Neck-canal cells, located above the egg, disappear as the archegonium matures, thus producing a passage for entry of the sperm. The sperm are produced in the corresponding male reproductive organ, the antheridium.