Pericarp (Noun)
Meaning
The ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The pericarp of the tomato fruit is fleshy and edible, consisting of the exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp.
- The pericarp of a peach is composed of a thin, hairy exocarp and a juicy, fleshy mesocarp.
- The dry and woody pericarp of the walnut shell protects the seed inside.
- The pericarp of a citrus fruit, such as an orange, is leathery and easy to peel.
- In some fruits, like the pomegranate, the pericarp is hard and leathery, while the aril is fleshy and edible.