involucel

[in-vol-yuh-sel]

noun Botany.

a secondary involucre, as in a compound cluster of flowers.

Origin of involucel

1755–65; < New Latin involūcellum, diminutive of Latin involūcrum involucrum; for formation, see castellum

Related formsin·vol·u·cel·ate

[in-vol-yuh-sel-it] /ɪnˌvɒl yəˈsɛl ɪt/, in·vol·u·cel·at·ed

[in-vol-yuh-sel-ey-tid] /ɪnˌvɒl yəˈsɛl eɪ tɪd/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for involucel

Historical Examples of involucel

Calyx with a 3-leaved involucel at the base, like an outer calyx.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray
Calyx either naked or with a 3-leaved involucel at its base.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray
Spikelets are obovoid or lanceolate, 1- to 2-flowered, persistent on their stalks, one to three in an involucel.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses
Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
When the umbellets are subtended by an involucre, this secondary involucre is called an Involucel.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for involucel

involucel

involucellum (ɪnˌvɒljʊˈsɛləm)

noun plural -cels or -cella (-ˈsɛlə)

a ring of bracts at the base of the florets of a compound umbel

Derived Formsinvolucellate or involucellated, adjective

Word Origin for involucel

C19: from New Latin involūcellum a little cover; see involucre

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