A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Micropyle (Eng.noun), “the aperture in the skin of a seed which was once the foramen of the ovule. It indicates the position of the radicle” (Lindley); “the opening in the integument leading into the nucellus of an ovule” (Fernald 1950); “a differentiated area of surface in many eggs through which a sperm enters; an opening in various spores through which enclosed protoplasts escape; a minute opening in the integument of an ovule of a seed plant through which the pollen tube normally penetrates to the embryo sac and which often persists in the seed as an opening or superficial scar - called also ‘foramen’ (WIII): micropyle (s.f.I, with Greek declension; see -e): nom. sg. micropyle, gen.sg. micropyles, dat.sg. micropylae, acc. sg. micropylen (-em in B&H), abl. sg. micropyle (Stearn 1983) [> Gk. micro-, small + pylE, gate];

NOTE: Stearn (1992) indicated the nom. pl. of raphe was raphes, the abl. pl. raphibus; on analogy the nom. [&acc.] pl. of micropyle would be micropyles, the [dat. &]abl. pl. micropylibus;

- genus ob ovuli micropylem superam cum raphe dorsali, cottledones foliáceas, aliasque notas, manifeste inter Burseraceas locandum (B&H), the genus, because the micropyle of the ovule is superior, with the raphe dorsal, the cotyledones foliaceous and other charaters, is to be located clearly among the Burseraceae.

- integumentum unicum, micropylem versus in tubum brevem productum (B&H), the integument one, extended toward the micropyle into a short tube.

- raphe ventrali et micropyle supera v. vaga (B&H), .with the raphe ventral and the micropyle superior or indefinite.

- raphe ventrali, micropyle infera v. ab hilo remota. (B&H), with the raphe ventral, the micropyle inferior or remote from the hilum.

- rapbe ventrali et micropyle infera, v. raphe dorsali cum micropyle supera (B&H), with the raphe ventral and the micropyle inferior, or the raphe dorsal with the micropyle superior.

- ovulorum micropyle infera v. .saepius supera (B&H), the micropyle of the ovules inferior or more often superior.

- ovula et semina solitaria, ventri peltatim affixa, micropyle supera v. transversa (B&H), the ovules and seeds solitary, peltately attached to the front, with the micropyle superior or transverse.

- raphe ventrali cum micropyle infero (B&H), with the raphe ventral, with the micropyle inferior.

- raphe dorsali, micropyle hilo proxima (B&H), with the raphe dorsal, with the micropyle nearest to the hilum.

- raphe ventrali cum micropyle supera, rarissime inversa (B&H), with the raphe ventral with the micropyle above, very rarely inverted.

- micropyle et raphe varie spectantibus.(B&H), with the micropyle and raphe variously oriented.

Caruncle, q.v., an outgrowth of a seed developed by proliferation of integumentary tissue adjacent to the micropyle (WIII): caruncula,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. caruncula.

Foramen,-inis (s.n.III), opening, hole, gap; “an aperture, especially that in the outer integuments of the ovule; cf. micropyle” (Jackson).