[kat-kin] 
| a spike of unisexual, apetalous flowers having scaly, usually deciduous bracts, as of a willow or birch. |
| cat·kin (kāt'kĭn) n. A usually dense, cylindrical, often drooping cluster of unisexual apetalous flowers found in willows, birches, and oaks. Also called ament1. [From obsolete Dutch katteken, kitten, diminutive of katte, cat (from its resemblance to a kitten's tail), from Germanic *kattuz.] |
| catkin (kāt'kĭn) Pronunciation Key
A long, thin, indeterminate inflorescence of tiny, petalless flowers growing on willows, birches, oaks, poplars, and certain other trees. The flowers on a catkin are either all male or all female. The female flowers are usually pollinated by the wind. Also called ament. See illustration at inflorescence. |
kɪn