caryopsis
Sign in to savethumb|An assortment of different caryopses. thumb|Wheat spikelet with the three anthers sticking out.|right thumb|Caryopsis cross-section.|right In botany, a caryopsis () is a type of simple fruit—one that is monocarpellate (formed from a single carpel) and indehiscent (not opening at maturity) and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat.
Article
2 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- References
thumb|An assortment of different caryopses. thumb|Wheat spikelet with the three anthers sticking out.|right thumb|Caryopsis cross-section.|right In botany, a caryopsis () is a type of simple fruit—one that is monocarpellate (formed from a single carpel) and indehiscent (not opening at maturity) and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat.
The caryopsis is popularly called a grain and is the fruit typical of the family Poaceae (or Gramineae), which includes wheat, rice, maize, and oat.