1. small openings or pores, especially in plant or fungal structures
Usage: botanical; biological

Examples

• The fungal fruiting bodies had tiny ostioles through which spores were released.
• Botanists examined the ostioles on the leaf surface under a microscope.
• The ostioles allowed gas exchange in the specialized plant tissue.
• Spores emerged from the ostioles when the conditions were right.
• The researcher counted the number of ostioles per square centimeter.
• These ostioles serve as exit points for reproductive cells.