Term:

Mucilage ducts (= mucilaginous ducts)

Definition:

Longitudinally oriented ducts that penetrate the ovary and sepals of some species of . These ducts produce a mucilage that is hypothesized as a way to protect the fruits from predation, i.e., insects and other animals get their mouth parts gummed up if they try to penetrate the fruit wall.

Notes:

Note that calyx-lobes of neotropical Lecythidaceae are also called sepals. We prefer calyx-lobes because they do not represent the entire sepal as part of the sepal is fused to the ovary wall to make up part of the inferior ovary.