Silicules

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small, dry seed pods that split open at maturity to release seeds, characteristic of certain flowering plants in the mustard family; these typically have two chambers separated by a thin partition; also used to describe any similar pod shape
2. Flat, elongated fruiting bodies that dehisce along two sutures to disperse seeds, commonly found in cruciferous plants; they usually contain two compartments with a membranous divider; this term also applies to structures resembling these pods
3. Dry, two-chambered siliques that open by valves at maturity to release seeds, a distinguishing feature of some species in the Brassicaceae family; the inner partition distinguishes the compartments; the word can also refer broadly to any pod-like structures with this form

Etymology: "Silicules" is the plural of "silicule", a botanical term for a short seed pod, the kind found in shepherd's purse or alyssum. The singular "silicule" is a diminutive of "silique", the longer pod of plants like wallflower and cabbage. Botanists use the pair to separate the two: a silique is at least three times as long as it is wide, while a silicule is shorter and rounder, so the diminutive ending marks a smaller version of the same kind of fruit. The root behind both is the Latin "siliqua", which referred to the pod or husk of a carob tree, and by extension a small weight. Its diminutive "siliquula" gave the botanical form in the same sense of a little pod. Because the seeds sit inside two chambers split by a thin partition, the shape is easy to identify once you know the pattern.

Synonyms: silicle, seed pod, fruit, capsule, legume