adjective
- Opening or splitting along a transverse line that separates the top from the base, as certain seed capsules or fruits do.
Usage: botanical term; also called circumscissile dehiscence
Examples
- The circumscissile capsule of the purslane plant opens by a lid-like top that separates cleanly from the base.
- Many succulent plants produce circumscissile fruits that split horizontally to release their seeds.
- Botanists classify the opening mechanism of this species as circumscissile rather than longitudinal.
- The circumscissile dehiscence of the seed pod allows seeds to disperse when the top portion falls away.