pappus Meaning, Definition & Usage
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noun calyx composed of scales or bristles or featherlike hairs in plants of the Compositae such as thistles and dandelions
WordNet
Pap"pus noun
Etymology
L., an old man or grandfather; hence, a substance resembling gray hairs, Gr. .Definitions
(Bot.) The hairy or feathery appendage of the achenes of thistles, dandelions, and most other plants of the order Compositæ; also, the scales, awns, or bristles which represent the calyx in other plants of the same order.
