palea

American  

[pay-lee-uh] / ˈpeɪ li ə /

noun

• paleae
  plural

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.

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palea British  

/ 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

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palea Scientific  

/ pā′lēə /

• paleae
  plural

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• paleaceous
  adjective
• paleate
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paleae
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of palea

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

palea paleae

Branch; 2. part of a leaf with ligule; 3. spikelet; 4 and 5. glume and its palea; 6. lodicules and ovary.

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

The third glume is oblong-ovate, glabrous, flower bearing, paleate; the palea is shorter than the glume, 2-nerved, splitting into two between the nerves.

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

The 375 best distinctions are found in the position of the embryo in relation to the endosperm—lateral in grasses, basal in Cyperaceae—and in the possession by Gramineae of the 2-nerved palea below each flower.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various

The fourth glume is coriaceous, ovate-lanceolate, nearly as long as the second glume, awned at the apex, paleate, with three stamens and an ovary; the palea is as long as the glume, elliptic oblong, obtuse.

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

Having two keelÏlike projections, as the upper palea of grasses.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster

Ears expel anthers when kept in water in room; but the paleae apparently do not open and expose stigma; but the stigma could easily be artificially impregnated.

From More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 by Sir Francis Darwin

The paleae open for a short period for stigma to be dusted, and then close again, and such travelling down would take place under protection.

From More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 by Sir Francis Darwin

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