Aril

Creator(s): C. A. Gracie

Description: Lecythis pisonis seeds with both an aril and funcile on the seed to the right, the latter appears as a dirty yellow cord at the top of the white aril. The seed on the left only shows the aril. Note that the seeds are sulcate.

Rights: Rights reside with creator, otherwise property of NYBG.

  • Title

    Aril

  • Definition

    A fleshy outgrowth from the base of the funicle.

  • Notes

    The arils of neotropical Lecythidaceae are of five types: basal, lateral-basal, lateral, half I-beam, and spreading. In species of Allantoma and Cariniana, we hypothesize that the fleshy aril of their ancestors was flattened to form a unilateral wing. In species of Allantoma dispersed by the water, the wings are vestigial because they provide no particular advantage for water dispersal, that function is taken over by a corky seed coat.

  • Related Terms

    Aril basal

    Aril basal-lateral

    Aril lateral

    Aril half I-beam

    Aril spreading

  • *For more educational content, please visit The Hand Lens and explore our herbarium collections and the stories they tell.