Costaceae

Fruit a loculicidalloculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
, rarely explosively dehiscent or irregularly breaking with decay, 6–25 mm long, globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
to trigonoustrigonous:
3D shape—having three faces that meet at distinct angles; triangular in outline
, 3-angled (triloculartrilocular:
(ovary or fruit) having three locules
) or flattened (bilocularbilocular:
(ovary or fruit) having two locules
) in transection, with stylar remnantsstyle base:
remnant of a style
and often persistent sepalssepal:
a member of the outer envelope of a flower (calyx)
, with many seeds. Rarely indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
white, red, or orange, dulldull:
reflecting only a low proportion of incident light, with no apparent sheen
, woodywoody:
texture—consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
, glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
or pubescentpubescent:
surface relief—bearing hairs
, smooth.

Seeds globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
or polygonalpolygonal:
angular
, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
in transection, 1–4 mm long. True arilsaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
present. ArilsAril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
fleshy, white or yellow, well developed and adnate to hilumhilum:
on seeds, the scar indicating where the funiculus was attached; on grass caryopses, the scar visible on the outer fruit surface revealing where the seed is attached on the inner fruit wall surface; or in Asteraceae cypselae, the scar visible on the outer fruit wall revealing where the fruit was attached to the receptacle
. Arilaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
small (Monocostus, Cheilocostus), lobed (Tapeinochilos), fimbriate-laciniate (Costus, Chamaecostus), cushion like (Dimerocostus, Costus specious), and membranousmembranous:
texture—extremely thin, pliable, and fairly tough
(Paracostus). Seed coat black to brown, shinyshiny:
uniformly reflecting a high proportion of incident light at all angles
, with a single groove and a bulbous shaped operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
and well developed hypostasehypostase:
a disk of lignified tissue formed at the base of the ovule
.

Embryo well developed, cylindricalcylindrical:
3D shape—a cylinder, with parallel sides and a circular cross-section; tubular or rod-shaped
, straight, partially filling seed coat, cotyledonary sheath present, sheath subdivided into basalbasal:
at or pertaining to the point of attachment; (of embryo) embryo occupies one end of the seed
sheath and bladelike distal portion.

Nutritive tissue includes mealymealy:
loose, dry, and disintegrating in finely granular pieces like meal or flour
endosperm mealymealy:
loose, dry, and disintegrating in finely granular pieces like meal or flour
, poorly developed; copious perispermperisperm:
seed nutritive tissue comparable to the endosperm, but derived from the nucellus (maternal tissue)
.