pappus

[pap-uhs]

noun

Botany.

plural

pappi 

1. a downy, bristly, or other tuftlike appendage of the achene of certain plants, as the dandelion and the thistle.

pappus

/ ˈpæpəs /

noun

1. a ring of fine feathery hairs surrounding the fruit in composite plants, such as the thistle; aids dispersal of the fruits by the wind

pappus

plural

pappi 

1. A structure made of scales, bristles, or featherlike hairs that is attached to the seeds (called cypselae) of plants of the composite family and that aids in dispersal by the wind. The downy part of a dandelion or thistle seed is a pappus. The pappus is derived from a modified calyx.

Other Word Forms

• pappose adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pappus¹

1695–1705; < New Latin < Greek páppos down, literally, grandfather (taken as greybeard, white hairs, down)

Word History and Origins

Origin of pappus¹

C18: via New Latin, from Greek pappos grandfather, old man, old man's beard, hence: pappus, down