[pbs] A question about elaiosomes
Agoston Janos
agoston.janos at citromail.hu
Tue May 22 13:14:21 EDT 2007
Elaiosome (see: Galanthus, Leucojum) is preferred as far as I know. It contains olis or similar things. Caruncule (see Euphorbia spp.) is similar but it does not contain foood for animals. Both are favoured by ants (=myrme), which are carrying (=chore) them away. These are growing out from the integuments. If the seed has got a long elaiosome it is called Christa (do not sure about spelling...) (See: Asarum europaeum, Helleborus spp.)
Aril grows out from different tissues and does not contains oils. These are usally red (as far as I know) and birds are feeding on them. (see: Taxus baccata, Euonymus europaeus)
Well actually this is my opinion about the things, and may be not correct, so if anybody has a different idear it is wellcome!
----- Original Message -----
From: David Ehrlich
To: Pacific Bulb Society
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:02 PM
Subject: [pbs] A question about elaiosomes
Some Allium neapolitanum have volunteered themselves in the backyard. They are quite pretty, and I am happy to let them flourish. Yesterday I collected and cleaned their seed, and noticed that each wrikly black body had a fleshy attachment. That started me thinking: I have seen informed people write elaisome and elaiosome. Why the two spellings, and is one preferred? Also, what is the technical difference between an elaiosome and an aril? I know that elaiosome means 'oily body' and is usually an oily or fatty body attached to a seed, and that an aril is usually fleshy, but it need not be so, I mean, the arils of pomegranates are practically pure juice.
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