noun
- a small scale-like structure found at the base of grass flowers that helps them open during pollination
Usage: botanical
Examples
- The lodicules swell with water to force open the grass flower.
- Botanists examined the lodicules under a microscope to study their structure.
- Each grass floret typically contains two or three lodicules.
- The lodicules play a crucial role in the reproductive process of grasses.
- When the lodicules expand, they push apart the lemma and palea.
- Rice flowers have well-developed lodicules that aid in pollination.