[suh-leek, sil-ik] 
| the long two-valved seed vessel or pod of plants belonging to the mustard family. |
[sil-i-kwey-shuh
s] , adjective | si·lique (sĭ-lēk') n. A dry, dehiscent, elongated fruit, characteristic of the mustard family, having two valves that fall away leaving a central partition. [French, from Old French, from Latin siliqua, seed pod.] sil'i·quous (sĭl'ĭ-kwəs), sil'i·quose' (-kwōs') adj. |
| silique (sĭ-lēk') Pronunciation Key
An elongated dry dehiscent seed pod that is the characteristic fruit of the mustard family. The two sides split off at maturity and leave a central partition to which the seeds are attached. |
silique
any dry fruit that separates at maturity into two or four segments called valves, leaving a persistent partition that bears the seeds. The valves remain connected at the top. A typical silique is an elongated capsule, such as in cabbage. A silicle, or silicula, is a short and broad silique, as in shepherd's purse (Capsella). Both types are characteristic of plants in the mustard family.
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