pappus
a downy, bristly, or other tuftlike appendage of the achene of certain plants, as the dandelion and the thistle.
Origin of pappus
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How to use pappus in a sentence
Happily the Pappi soon appeared; a fine-looking man with a beard and a kindly face.
Through Finland in Carts | Ethel Brilliana Alec-Tweedie
British Dictionary definitions for pappus
/ (ˈpæpəs) /
a ring of fine feathery hairs surrounding the fruit in composite plants, such as the thistle; aids dispersal of the fruits by the wind
Origin of pappus
1Derived forms of pappus
- pappose or pappous, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for pappus
[ păp′əs ]
A structure made of scales, bristles, or featherlike hairs that is attached to the seeds (called cypselae) of plants of the composite family and that aids in dispersal by the wind. The downy part of a dandelion or thistle seed is a pappus. The pappus is derived from a modified calyx.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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