‖ pyxidium Bot.
(pɪkˈsɪdɪəm)
Pl. pyxidia.
[mod.L., ad. Gr. πυξίδιον, dim. of πυξίς a box: see pyx.]
A capsule opening by transverse dehiscence, so that the top comes off like the lid of a box.
| 1832 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 7) V. 42/1 When a capsule opens transversely, it is called a pyxidium. 1847 W. E. Steele Field Bot. 123 Pimpernel... Fruit a pyxidium. 1857 Henfrey Elem. Bot. 143 The Pyxidium is a one- or more-celled, many-seeded fruit, the upper part of which falls off like a lid by circumscissile dehiscence. |