Term:
Secondarily indehiscent fruit
Secondarily indehiscent fruit
Definition:
Fruits that are hypothesized to have evolved indehiscent fruits from ancestors with dehiscent fruits.
Fruits that are hypothesized to have evolved indehiscent fruits from ancestors with dehiscent fruits.
Notes:
These are of two types. The first type is only represented by Bertholletia excelsa which is functionally indehiscent because it does have an operculum that dehisces but the opercular opening is smaller in diameter than the seeds so they remain inside the fruit at fruit maturity. In the other type of secondarily indehiscent fruits the operculum does not fall from the fruit at fruit maturity, e.g., Lecythis gracieana, L. lurida, L. parvifructa, L. prancei, and L. rorida. A few species seem to dehisce their opercula under some conditions and retain them under other conditions but this has only been observed in a putative new species that will be named Lecythis parviarillata. In the past, the term secondarily indehiscent fruits was used only for the fruit of Bertholletia excelsa which is now called functionally indehiscent.
These are of two types. The first type is only represented by Bertholletia excelsa which is functionally indehiscent because it does have an operculum that dehisces but the opercular opening is smaller in diameter than the seeds so they remain inside the fruit at fruit maturity. In the other type of secondarily indehiscent fruits the operculum does not fall from the fruit at fruit maturity, e.g., Lecythis gracieana, L. lurida, L. parvifructa, L. prancei, and L. rorida. A few species seem to dehisce their opercula under some conditions and retain them under other conditions but this has only been observed in a putative new species that will be named Lecythis parviarillata. In the past, the term secondarily indehiscent fruits was used only for the fruit of Bertholletia excelsa which is now called functionally indehiscent.