dehisce

American  

[dih-his] / dɪˈhɪs /

verb (used without object)

dehisced, dehiscing

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

---

dehisce British  

/ dɪˈhɪs /

verb

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

---

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 long, few, reddish-brown, faint bloom; nodes enlarged, flattened; tendrils semi-continuous, bifid, dehisce early.

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

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

The formation and growth of the asci and sporidia differ little from what we have described, and when mature the asci dehisce, and the sporidia alone are ejected from the ostiolum.

From Fungi: Their Nature and Uses by Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt)

In some Leguminosae, as Arachis, Cathartocarpus Fistula and the tamarind, the fruit must be considered a legume, although it does not dehisce.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

The stamens are very numerous, and are spirally arranged; and the carpels are variable in number, sessile or stipitate and slightly united at the base and dehisce by ventral suture.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various