Hilum (biology)
In botany, a hilum (pronounced /ˈhaɪləm/) is a scar or mark left on a seed coat by the former attachment to the ovary wall or to the funiculus (which in turn attaches to the ovary wall).[1][2] It is commonly known as the "eye" in some bean and pea species.
For some species of fungus, the hilum is the microscopic indentation left on a spore when it separates from the sterigma of the basidium.[3]
A hilum can also refer to the point around which layers of starch are deposited in a starch granule. This point may be located either at the center or to the side of the granule.[4]
The adjectival form hilar denotes the presence of such a mark, and for some species it can be used as a distinguishing characteristic.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Glossary of Botanical Terms". PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ a b Tootill, Elizabeth; Blackmore, Stephen, eds. (1984). The Penguin Dictionary of Botany. London: Penguin Group. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-14-051126-0.
- ^ Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA (2008). Dictionary of the Fungi (10th ed.). Wallingford, UK: CABI. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-85199-826-8.
- ^ Evert, Ray Franklin; Eichhorn, Susan E.; Esau, Katherine (2006). Esau's plant anatomy: meristems, cells, and tissues of the plant body: their structure, function, and development (3rd ed.). Oxford: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-73843-5.