Cylindrical fruit

• Title

  Cylindrical fruit

• Definition

  A fruit that is much longer than it is broad.

• Notes

  In Lecythidaceae, fruits at least 1.5 times longer than broad and more-or-less the same diameter throughout are considered cylindric. Only a few species possess fruit that are truly cylindrical (e.g., Allantoma lineata) because most species that are longer than broad in the Lecythidaceae taper at least slightly at the ends; nevertheless, these species, e.g., Couratari guianensis, are considered cylindric in the broad sense. Although it is difficult to more specifically classify their forms, species with cylindric fruits do vary among themselves by subtile differences in their forms.

• Related Terms

  Non-cylindrical fruit

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