The microgametophyte generation of the flowering plant begins with the production of microspores by the mature sporophyte plant. Flowers found on the sporophyte contain anthers which in cross section appear as shown in figure 1. Early in the development of the anther, chambers called microsporangia, become packed with microspore mother cells. A drawing of a single microspore mother cell is shown in figure 2. Figure 3 is a photograph of several microspore mother cells as they would appear when seen through the microscope at a magnification of approximately 430X. Note also that these cells are all diploid as they are part of the sporophyte generation. Click Here to Continue the Tutorial.