silicles

Silicles are a type of dry, dehiscent fruit produced by many plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). They develop from a single ovary into a capsule that opens along two longitudinal seams at maturity to release seeds. A defining feature of a silicle is its shape: it is short and broad, usually not more than twice as long as wide, and often round to oval. By contrast, a silique is more elongated, typically more than twice as long as wide. Both forms dehisce along the sutures and leave a persistent replum, with seeds arranged inside the fruit and released when dehiscence occurs.

Silicles occur widely in Brassicaceae, and several garden and wild species are familiar to observers. Lunaria annua, commonly called honesty or money plant, produces conspicuous broad silicles with a papery central partition that becomes translucent when dried and is often used in decorative arrangements. Other examples include Cardamine pratensis (cuckooflower) and various Arabidopsis species, which produce smaller silicles.

Etymology and terminology: The term silicle comes from Latin silicula, a diminutive of siliqua, meaning a small pod. In botanical usage, the distinction between silicle and silique is mainly morphological—shape and proportions—rather than taxonomic group, though some authors apply the terms differently.