palea

American  

[pey-lee-uh] / ˈpeɪ li ə /

noun

plural

paleae

1. a chafflike scale or bract.

2. the scalelike, membranous organ in the flowers of grasses that is situated upon a secondary axis in the axil of the flowering glume and envelops the stamens and pistil.

---

palea British  

/ ˌpeɪlɪˈeɪʃəs, ˈpeɪlɪə /

noun

1. the inner of two bracts surrounding each floret in a grass spikelet Compare lemma 1

2. any small membranous bract or scale

---

palea Scientific  

/ pā′lēə /

plural

paleae

1. The inner or upper of the two bracts enclosing one of the small flowers within a grass spikelet.

2. The chaffy scales on the receptacle of a flower head in a plant of the composite family.

---

Other Word Forms

• paleaceous adjective
• paleate adjective

Etymology

Origin of palea

1745–55; < New Latin, special use of Latin palea chaff

Example Sentences

A portion of the spike; 2. the first glume; 3 and 4. the second and third glumes; 5 and 6. the fourth glume and its palea; 7. lodicules, ovary and stamens.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by Rangachari, K.

The third glume is shorter than the second, finely acuminate, or awned, 7-nerved, membranous, paleate and with three stamens and two lodicules; the palea is shorter than the glume, linear-oblong, subacute.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by Rangachari, K.

Grain is free and enclosed by the hardened fourth glume and its palea.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by Rangachari, K.

The fourth glume is oblong, rounded, coriaceous, smooth, shining, dorsally flattened, 3- or indistinctly 5-nerved; palea is similar to the glume in texture and with folded margins.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by Rangachari, K.

Glumes four, second glume broadly fimbriate with hairs; palea of the third glume short and deeply cleft, fourth glume awned 7.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by Rangachari, K.