PAPPUS

pappus

(noun) calyx composed of scales or bristles or featherlike hairs in plants of the Compositae such as thistles and dandelions

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

pappus (plural pappuses or pappi)

(botany) The markedly reduced sepals of an Asteraceae floret that take the form of trichomes or scale attached to the ovary or seed.

Hyponym: thistledown

The first hair on the chin.

Source: Wiktionary

Pap"pus, n. Etym: [L., an old man or grandfather; hence, a substance resembling gray hairs, Gr. (Bot.)

Definition: The hairy or feathery appendage of the achenes of thistles, dandelions, and most other plants of the order Compositæ; also, the scales, awns, or bristles which represent the calyx in other plants of the same order.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition