Silique

For other uses, see siliqua (disambiguation).

Siliquae of Cardamine impatiens

A silique or siliqua (plural siliques or siliquae) is a fruit (seed capsule) of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit it is referred to as a silicle. The outer walls of the ovary (the valves) usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition (the replum). This classification includes many members of the Brassicaceae family, but some species have a shorter fruit of similar structure, in which case the fruit is called silicle. Some species that are closely related to plants with true siliques have fruits with a similar structure that do not open when ripe; these are usually called indehiscent siliques (compare dehiscence).

• Lunaria annua MHNT.BOT.2004.0.779.jpg

  Silicles of Lunaria annua - MHNT

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  Capsella bursa-pastoris L. with silicles

• Raphanus sativus 004.jpg

  Indehiscent siliques of radish Raphanus sativus

See also

• Legume - a fruit type that somewhat resembles a silique, but is derived from one carpel that typically splits along two sides.