What Does Elaiosome Mean?
Elaiosomes Are Fleshy Structures That Are Attached to the Seeds of Many Plant Species. the Elaiosome Is Rich in Lipids and Proteins, and May Be Variously...
Elaiosomes are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes that attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae.
What is the main role of the Elaiosome?
The main elaiosome function in seeds is to aid dispersal. For a seed to have the best chance of germinating, sprouting, and surviving into a mature plant, it needs to travel a good distance from the mother plant. Ants are great at dispersing seeds, and the elaiosome serves to entice them.
What seeds have Elaiosomes?
- Chelidonium majus (greater celandine)
- Claytonia virginica.
- Cnidoscolus urens.
- Corydalis.
- Dicentra (bleeding-heart, Dutchman's breeches)
- Hyacinthus (hyacinth)
- Myrtus (myrtle)
- Ricinus communis (castor oil plant)