Follicle (fruit) facts for kids

A milkweed follicle releasing its seeds.

In the world of plants, a follicle is a special kind of dry fruit. It grows from just one part of a flower. This fruit has only one chamber inside. It usually holds two or more seeds.

Most follicles open up to release their seeds. They split along a seam, like a zipper. You can see this in plants like some larkspurs, peony plants, and milkweed.

How Follicles Open

Follicles open in different ways to let their seeds out. Some follicles split along the front seam. An example of this is the Banksia plant. Others split along the back seam, like the Magnolia tree. This helps the seeds scatter and grow new plants.

Fruits Made of Follicles

Sometimes, a larger fruit is actually made up of many small follicles. This kind of fruit is called a follicetum. Imagine a cluster of tiny fruits all together.

Examples of Follicetum

Many plants have follicetums. For example, the hellebore and aconite plants have several follicles. These grow in a circle on a short stem. The Magnolia tree also has many follicles. They are arranged in a spiral pattern on a longer stem. The family Crassulaceae also shows this type of fruit.

Images for kids

• 

  Follicles from Helleborus foetidus

• 

  Only some flowers in a Banksia plant grow into follicles. These are found inside the "cone."

• 

  Follicles of Stenocarpus sinuatus will release papery brown seeds.

See also

In Spanish: Folículo (botánica) para niños