paraphysis
/pəˈrafɪsɪs
/noun (plural paraphyses /pəˈrafɪsiːz/) Botany
A sterile hair-like filament present among the reproductive organs in many lower plants, especially bryophytes, algae, and fungi.Perithecia are always smaller than wild-type perithecia and a quarter of them contain only sterile paraphyses....
- Alternatively, the branchlets may represent inflated hairs, or paraphyses, as found on some phaeophyte sporophytes or rhodophyte tetrasporophytes.
- However, Neolecta lacks paraphyses, and the croziers do not develop until the ascus is formed.
Origin
Mid 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek para- 'beside, subsidiary' + phusis 'growth'.