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.

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

• paleaceous adjective
• paleate adjective

Etymology

Origin of palea

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

Example Sentences

The palea can easily be distinguished from the glume, because its insertion in the spikelet is different from that of the glume.

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

In the axil of each lemma, and usually concealed by it, is a smaller bract, the palea, and between the lemma and the palea is a single flower.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Gleason, Henry Allan

The fourth glume becomes firm and rigid along with its palea and usually encloses the grain.

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

The third and the fourth glumes are longer than the second glume, 5- to 7-nerved, paleate and triandrous; palea of both are lanceolate with ciliate keels.

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

The function of the lodicules seems to be to separate the glume and its palea so as to enable the stamens to come out and hang freely at the time of anthesis.

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