dehisces

Dehisces is the third-person singular present tense of the verb dehisce, meaning to split open along a natural seam. In botany, the term describes the action by which a mature plant structure opens to release its contents. Dehiscence occurs in reproductive structures such as anthers, which release pollen, and in fruits and sporangia, which expose seeds or spores. When a structure opens at maturity, it is described as dehiscent; structures that do not open are indehiscent.

In flowers, anther dehiscence is often produced by the splitting of the stomium, enabling pollen release. In fruits, dehiscence is a key seed-dispersal strategy. Dehiscent fruits split along seams or pores to expose seeds, whereas indehiscent fruits retain seeds within a dry or fleshy pericarp. Among dry fruits, patterns include septicidal dehiscence, where separation occurs along septa between locules, and loculidal dehiscence, where the fruit splits along locule walls; some fruits dehisce via pores (poricidal) or along specialized structures in siliques and capsules.

Triggers include maturation drying, changes in tissue turgor, and mechanical tension created by growing seeds. Evolution of dehiscence is linked to dispersal ecology, enabling wind, water, or animals to carry seeds away from the parent plant.

See also: dehiscence, indehiscence, seed dispersal.