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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Hypanthium

Hypanthium \Hy*pan"thi*um\, n.; pl. L. Hypanthia, E. Hypanthiums. [NL., fr. Gr. "ypo beneath + 'a`nqos flower.] (Bot.) A fruit consisting in large part of a receptacle, enlarged below the calyx, as in the Calycanthus, the rose hip, and the pear.

Wiktionary
hypanthium

n. (context botany English) The bowl-shaped part of a flower on which the sepals, petals, and stamens are borne

WordNet
hypanthium
  1. n. the cuplike or ringlike or tubular structure of a flower which bears the sepals and stamens and calyx (as in Rosaceae) [syn: floral cup, calyx tube]

  2. [also: hypanthia (pl)]

Wikipedia
Hypanthium

In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It can often contain the nectaries of the plant. It is present in most flowering species, although varies in structural dimensions and appearance. This differentiation between the hypanthium in particular species is useful with identification. Some geometric forms are obconic shapes as in toyon, whereas some are saucer-shaped as in Mitella caulescens.

Its presence is diagnostic of many families, including the Rosaceae, Grossulariaceae, and Fabaceae. In some cases, it can be so deep, with such a narrow top, that the flower can appear to have an inferior ovary - the ovary is below the other attached floral parts. The hypanthium is known by different common names in differing species. In the eucalypts, it is referred to as the gum nut; in roses it is called the hip.