Definition
pyxidium
noun
- A type of fruit or seed capsule that opens by a transverse slit, with the top coming off like a lid.
Usage: botanical term; also called a pyxis
Examples
- The pyxidium of the plantain fruit splits open to release its seeds.
- Botanists classify the seed pod as a pyxidium because of its distinctive lid-like opening mechanism.
- The pyxidium is an adaptation that allows seeds to disperse when environmental conditions are right.
- In the herbarium, the specimen showed a well-preserved pyxidium with its characteristic transverse dehiscence.