dehisce

American  

[dih-his] / dɪˈhɪs /

verb (used without object)

dehisced, dehiscing

1. to burst open, as capsules of plants; gape.

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dehisce British  

/ dɪˈhɪs /

verb

1. (intr) (of fruits, anthers, etc) to burst open spontaneously, releasing seeds, pollen, etc

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Etymology

Origin of dehisce

1650–60; < Latin dēhiscere to gape, part, equivalent to dē- de- + hiscere to gape, yawn ( hi ( āre ) to yawn + -scere inchoative suffix)

Example Sentences

Occasionally, follicles dehisce by the dorsal suture, as in Magnolia grandiflora and Banksia.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

Canes long, few, reddish-brown, faint bloom; nodes enlarged, flattened; tendrils semi-continuous, bifid, dehisce early.

From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.

In some Leguminosae, as Arachis, Cathartocarpus Fistula and the tamarind, the fruit must be considered a legume, although it does not dehisce.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

Mr. Blackley observed that the ripe anthers of rye did not dehisce whilst kept under a bell-glass in a damp atmosphere, whilst other anthers exposed to the same temperature in the open air dehisced freely.

From Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom by Darwin, Charles

It has been noted with respect to the nectar of the fuchsia that it is most abundant when the anthers are about to dehisce, and absent in the unexpanded flower.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various