Term:
Dehiscent fruit
Dehiscent fruit
Definition:
Referring to fruits that open via an operculum (= lid like in a teapot) at maturity.
Referring to fruits that open via an operculum (= lid like in a teapot) at maturity.
Notes:
In Lecythidaceae, dehiscent fruits open by a circular opening (opercular opening) which is closed by a lid (operculum) which falls when the seeds are ripe. This kind of dehiscence is called circumscissile and woody, dehiscent fruits of neotropical Lecythidaceae are circumscissile capsules. One the opercula fall, the seeds are dispersed by animals (especially bats), gravity, wind, or water.
In Lecythidaceae, dehiscent fruits open by a circular opening (opercular opening) which is closed by a lid (operculum) which falls when the seeds are ripe. This kind of dehiscence is called circumscissile and woody, dehiscent fruits of neotropical Lecythidaceae are circumscissile capsules. One the opercula fall, the seeds are dispersed by animals (especially bats), gravity, wind, or water.