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samara (SAM-er-uh, suh-MAIR-uh) - n., a dry, indehiscent, usually one-seeded, winged fruit, as of a elm, maple, ash, etc.
Indehiscent means not opening up on a seam -- compare with a dehiscent pea-pod. Also sometimes called a key fruit, I'm guessing from the shape. The wings are, of course, to aid dispersal on the wind. Borrowed in the 1570s from Latin, where it means specifically an elm seed.
---L.
Indehiscent means not opening up on a seam -- compare with a dehiscent pea-pod. Also sometimes called a key fruit, I'm guessing from the shape. The wings are, of course, to aid dispersal on the wind. Borrowed in the 1570s from Latin, where it means specifically an elm seed.
---L.
