[pap-uh
s] 
[pap-ahy] . Botany. | a downy, bristly, or other tuftlike appendage of the achene of certain plants, as the dandelion and the thistle. |
| pap·pus (pāp'əs) n. pl. pap·pi (pāp'ī) A modified calyx, composed of scales, bristles, or featherlike hairs, in plants of the composite family, such as the dandelion and the thistle. [Latin, old man, down on certain seeds, from Greek pappos; see papa in Indo-European roots.] pap'pose (-ōs), pap'pous (-əs) adj. |
| pappus (pāp'əs) Pronunciation Key
Plural pappi (pāp'ī) A structure made of scales, bristles, or featherlike hairs that is attached to the seeds (called cypselae) of plants of the composite family and that aids in dispersal by the wind. The downy part of a dandelion or thistle seed is a pappus. The pappus is derived from a modified calyx. |