dehisce

American  

[dih-his] / dɪˈhɪs /

verb (used without object)

dehisced, dehiscing

1. to burst open, as capsules of plants; gape.

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dehisce British  

/ dɪˈhɪs /

verb

1. (intr) (of fruits, anthers, etc) to burst open spontaneously, releasing seeds, pollen, etc

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Etymology

Origin of dehisce

1650–60; < Latin dēhiscere to gape, part, equivalent to dē- de- + hiscere to gape, yawn ( hi ( āre ) to yawn + -scere inchoative suffix)

Example Sentences

Canes slender, dark brown, heavily pubescent; tendrils continuous, bifid, dehisce early.

From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.

Canes short, slender, dark brown, surface roughened and covered with faint pubescence; nodes enlarged and flattened; internodes short; tendrils intermittent, bifid, dehisce early.

From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.

The anthers dehisce at different periods during the process of flowering; sometimes in the bud, but more commonly when the pistil is fully developed and the flower is expanded.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5 "Fleury, Claude" to "Foraker" by Various

Mr. Blackley observed that the ripe anthers of rye did not dehisce whilst kept under a bell-glass in a damp atmosphere, whilst other anthers exposed to the same temperature in the open air dehisced freely.

From Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom by Darwin, Charles

They dehisce properly, but do not appear to contain much pollen.

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Darwin, Charles