Schizocarp
A schizocarp /ˈskɪzəkɑːrp/ is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps.
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The indehiscent (remaining closed) schizocarps of the parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), like that of the carrot, will split into two parts.
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The indehiscent schizocarp of musk mallow (Malva moschata) will later split into segments called mericarps.
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
- "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.
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Look up schizocarp in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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Look up mericarp in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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