Botanical Nerd Word: Pyxis
Pyxis: A circumscissile capsule, the top coming off as a lid.* Above is an image of a ripe Portulaca pyxis. Circumscissile means that the capsule…
Pyxis: A circumscissile capsule, the top coming off as a lid.* Above is an image of a ripe Portulaca pyxis. Circumscissile means that the capsule…
Pappus: A modified calyx made up of a ring of fine hairs, scales, or teeth that persist after fertilization and aid the wind dispersal of…
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Imbibition: The adsorption of liquid, usually water, into the ultramicroscopic spaces or pores found in materials such as cellulose, pectin, and cytoplasmic proteins in seeds.*…
Biconvex: Shaped like a lentil, i.e., round and convex on both sides.* *Pell, S.K., Angell, B. (2016). A botanist’s vocabulary: 1300 terms explained and illustrated….
Anemochory: Dispersal of fruits and seeds by wind.* Milkweed pods (Asclepias tuberosa) are opening up and releasing their fluffy seeds in the garden and ravine….
Ossiculus: The stone or pit of a drupe; a pyrene.* Peaches, apricots, cherries, and plums are all examples of drupes. *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification…
Quiescent: In a state or condition of quietness; motionless; inactive; dormant.* Seeds in storage are said to be quiescent. They are purposely kept dry and cool…
Ballistic dispersal: (syn. ballochory) Mode of dispersal by which the diaspores are actively or passively catapulted away from the plant. This can either happen arbitrarily or…
Funiculus: The stalk by which an ovule or seed is connected to the placenta in the ovary. The funiculus acts like an umbilical cord, supplying…