A schizocarp /ˈskɪzəkɑːrp/ is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps.
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There are different definitions:
- Any dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate.[1]
- Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more seeds (the mericarps of Abutilon have two or more seeds[2]) and each mericarp can be either:
- Indehiscent (remaining closed), such as in the carrot and other Umbelliferae or in members of the genus Malva, or
- Dehiscent (splitting open to release the seed), for example members of the genus Geranium. This is similar to what happens with a capsule, but with an extra stage. (In Abutilon, the mericarp is sometimes only partially dehiscent and does not release the seed.)
- Any fruit that separates into indehiscent one-seeded segments,[3] such as a loment, Malva, Malvastrum, and Sida.
References
edit- ^ "Merriam-Webster Dictionary".
- ^ Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences
- ^ Bell, A.D. (1997). Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
Look up schizocarp in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up mericarp in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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