Hilum
Definition
The scar on a seed where it was attached to the funiculus inside the fruit. Shape, size, and position of the hilum are consistently species-specific and survive on desiccated or fragmentary seeds.
Related terms
- Cuticle
- The waxy, polymer layer covering the outer surface of leaf epidermal cells. It protects against water loss and herbivory but, forensically, it...
- Diaspore
- Any plant propagule adapted for dispersal, including seeds, single-seeded fruits, and seed-fruit units. Many diaspores have morphological adaptations (hooks, barbs, mucilage, wings)...
- Endosperm
- The nutritive tissue inside many seeds, surrounding or adjacent to the embryo. Its presence, consistency (starchy, oily, ruminate), and extent are used...
- Testa
- The seed coat, derived from the integuments of the ovule. Its surface sculpture (smooth, reticulate, foveolate, echinate, and so on) is a...
- Venation
- The arrangement of veins within a leaf, including the hierarchy of midrib, secondary veins, and tertiary reticulation, and the shape of the...
Explained in
- Leaf and Seed Evidence: Identification and TransferThe scar on a seed where it was attached to the funiculus inside the fruit. Shape, size, and position of the hilum are consistently species-specific and surviv...