seed coat

American  

noun

Botany.

1. the outer integument of a seed.

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seed coat British  

noun

1. the nontechnical name for testa

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seed coat Scientific  

1. The outer protective covering of a seed. The seed coat develops from the integument of the ovule.

2. Also called testa

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Etymology

Origin of seed coat

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

The team found that, as with the outer seed coat in modern angiosperm seeds, the cupule tissue curved around the developing seeds.

From Science Magazine • May 26, 2021

Scale bar, 30 μm c, Thickness of the internal seed coat layer in bitter and sweet lines. d, Thickness of the external seed coat layer in bitter and sweet lines.

From Nature • Feb. 7, 2017

The seed is covered by a seed coat, which is derived from the female sporophyte.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Black quinoa seeds, the smallest of the three, have the thickest seed coat.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2014

While some birds swallow the seeds whole and pass them again unharmed, thus spreading the plant, others crack the seed coat and eat the contents, which of course destroys the seed.

From The Renewal of Life; How and When to Tell the Story to the Young by Morley, Margaret Warner