1. Plural of cypsela; a type of simple dry fruit produced by plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae), consisting of a single seed enclosed in a hardened ovary wall.
Usage: botanical term; technical

Examples

• Sunflower seeds are actually cypselae, not true seeds.
• The dandelion disperses its cypselae by wind.
• Botanists classify the fruits of asters as cypselae.
• Each cypsela in a daisy head contains a single embryo.
• The pappus attached to cypselae aids in seed dispersal.