hypanthial

Hypanthial is an adjective used in plant morphology to describe structures associated with the hypanthium, the floral cup formed by fusion of the bases of sepals, petals, and stamens around the ovary in many dicot flowers.

The hypanthium can be cup-shaped or tubular and may be free from, or fused to, the ovary; it can be conspicuously developed in some lineages and largely reduced in others. The ovary itself may be superior or partly inferior; the hypanthial tissue may contribute to the developing fruit in different ways.

In many fruit-bearing species of Rosaceae and related families, hypanthial tissue enlarges to become part of the edible fruit flesh; in other taxa the hypanthium is inconspicuous, and the edible portion derives mainly from the ovary or receptacle. The term hypanthial is used mainly in descriptions of floral morphology and fruit anatomy.

Etymology: from Greek hypo- meaning under or beneath, anthos meaning flower, with the suffix -al forming an adjective.

See also: Hypanthium