Definition of cyathium in English:
cyathium
nounPlural cyathiasʌɪˈaθɪəmsīˈaTHēəm
Botany The characteristic inflorescence of the spurges, resembling a single flower. It consists of a cup-shaped involucre of fused bracts enclosing several greatly reduced male flowers and a single female flower.
Example sentencesExamples
- Inflorescences consist of a male cyathium surrounded by 5 to 7 bisexual cyathia on a short terminal branch.
- All are tree Euphorbias, have minute sessile leaves and yellowish cyathia but differ in other respects.
- In this species, there is only one nectar gland per cyathium, and petal-like appendages are lacking.
- That means that there are plants that produce only male cyathia and others that produce only female ones.
- A commonly encountered cluster of three cyathia with a mixed sexual orientation is called a cyme.
Origin
Late 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek kuathion, diminutive of kuathos 'cup'.