Blog Parts Sapanbot 3
Achene Variations
Blog Parts Sapanbot 3
Blog Parts Sapanbot 3
Achene Variations
~ A winged achene, such as in maple, is called a samara. Some achenes have accessory hair-like structures that cause them to tumble in the wind, similar to a tumbleweed; this type sometimes is called a “tumble fruit” or diaspore. An example is Anemone virginiana.
~ A caryopsis or grain is a type of fruit that closely resembles an achene, but differs in that the pericarp is fused to the thin seed coat in the grain. A utricle is like an achene, but it has a compound ovary, sometimes with several seeds. In addition, the ovary of the fruit becomes bladder-like or corky.
Fruits of sedges are sometimes considered achenes although their one-locule ovary is actually a compound ovary. The fruit of the family Asteraceae is also so similar to an achene that it is often considered to be one, although it derives from a compound inferior ovary (with one locule). A special term for the Asteraceae fruit is cypsela (plural cypselae or cypselas). For example, the white-gray husks of a sunflower “seed” are the walls of the cypsela fruit. Many cypselas (e.g. dandelion) have calyx tissue attached that functions in biological dispersal of the seed.
Panderichthys 