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Follicle
From folliculus (lat.), a small bag or sack. Metaphorical transfer esp. in anatomy: a husk, pod, shell, skin, egg shell. Examples include hair folliclesand ovarian follicles. Vertebrate and invertebrate eggs are usually surrounded by follicle cells, which are of somatic origin and help to form the egg.
In botany, a follicle is a type of simple dry fruitproduced by certain flowering plants. It is regarded as one the most primitive types of fruits, and derives from a simple pistil or carpel(see flower). At maturity, the follicle dehisces (splits open) along the ventral (seed-bearing) suture and the seedsare released, usually by mechanical motion of the stem. Examples of follicles are found in milkweed, magnolia, peony, and larkspur.de:Follikel
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Categories: Anatomy| Plant morphology
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Follicle Wikipedia article Follicle.
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