What is "lodicule"

Lodicule \Lod"i*cule\, n. [L. lodicula. dim, of lodix, lodicis, a coverlet: cf. F. lodicule.] (Bot.) One of the two or three delicate membranous scales which are next to the stamens in grasses.

n. (context botany English) A small scale at the base of the ovary of a flower of a grass

A lodicule is one of two or three small scales at the base of the ovary in a grass flower that represent the corolla, believed to be a rudimentary perianth. The swelling of the lodicules forces apart the flower's bracts, exposing the flower's reproductive organs.