noun
- A stalk or axis that bears the fruit or seed-bearing structures in certain plants, especially in umbelliferous plants (like carrots and parsley).
Usage: botanical term; also called a carpophoral axis
Examples
- In carrot plants, the carpophore is the central axis that supports the developing fruits.
- Botanists examine the carpophore to classify members of the parsley family.
- The carpophore elongates as the fruit matures in many umbelliferous species.
- Students of plant morphology learn to identify the carpophore in dissected fruit specimens.