What is "silique"

Silique \Sil"ique\, n. [L. siliqua a pod or husk, a very small weight or measure: cf. F. silique.] (Bot.) An oblong or elongated seed vessel, consisting of two valves with a dissepiment between, and opening by sutures at either margin. The seeds are attached to both edges of the dissepiment, alternately upon each side of it.

n. (context botany English) A long dry fruit (seed capsule), length more than twice the width, typical to cruciferous plants and consisting of two fused carpels that separate when ripe.

n. narrow elongated seed capsule peculiar to the family Cruciferae [syn: siliqua]

A silique or siliqua (plural siliques or siliquae) is a fruit (seed capsule) of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit it is referred to as a silicle. The outer walls of the ovary (the valves) usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition (the replum). This classification includes many members of the Brassicaceae family, but some species have a shorter fruit of similar structure, in which case the fruit is called silicle. Some species that are closely related to plants with true siliques have fruits with a similar structure that do not open when ripe; these are usually called indehiscent siliques (compare dehiscence).

Lunaria annua MHNT.BOT.2004.0.779.jpg|Silicles of Lunaria annua - MHNT Capsella bursa-pastoris Sturm23.jpg| Capsella bursa-pastoris L. with silicles Raphanus sativus 004.jpg|Indehiscent siliques of radish Raphanus sativus