catkin

catkin
—catkinate /kat"keuh nayt'/, adj.
/kat"kin/, n. Bot.
a spike of unisexual, apetalous flowers having scaly, usually deciduous bracts, as of a willow or birch. Also called ament.
[1570-80; < D katteken little cat (now obs.). See CAT1, -KIN]

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Elongated cluster of single-sex flowers bearing scaly bracts and usually lacking petals.

Many trees bear catkins, including willows, birches, and oaks. Wind carries pollen from male to female catkins or from male catkins to female flowers that take a different form (e.g., in spikes).

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▪ flower cluster
      Elongated cluster of single-sex flowers bearing scaly bracts (bract) and usually lacking petals. Many trees bear catkins, including willows (willow), birches (birch), and oaks (oak). Wind carries pollen from male to female catkins or from male catkins to female flowers that take a different form (e.g., in spikes).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Catkin — Cat kin (k[a^]t k[i^]n), n. [Cat + kin.] (Bot.) An ament; a species of inflorescence, consisting of a slender axis with many unisexual apetalous flowers along its sides, as in the willow and poplar, and (as to the staminate flowers) in the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • catkin — 1570s, from Du. katteken flowering stem of willow, hazel, etc., lit. kitten, dim. of katte cat. So called for their soft, furry appearance …   Etymology dictionary

  • catkin — ► NOUN ▪ a spike of small soft flowers hanging from trees such as willow and hazel. ORIGIN from obsolete Dutch katteken kitten …   English terms dictionary

  • catkin — [kat′kin] n. [Du katteken, dim. of katte, CAT1: from resemblance to a cat s tail] a drooping, deciduous, scaly spike of unisexual flowers without petals, as on poplars, walnuts, and birches; ament: see INFLORESCENCE …   English World dictionary

  • Catkin — A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect pollinated (as in Salix ). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along… …   Wikipedia

  • catkin — UK [ˈkætkɪn] / US noun [countable] Word forms catkin : singular catkin plural catkins a long soft group of small flowers that hangs from the branches of willows and some other trees …   English dictionary

  • çatkın — sf. Çatık Müftü bunu işitince çatkın bir çehre ile geldi. R. N. Güntekin …   Çağatay Osmanlı Sözlük

  • catkin — [[t]kæ̱tkɪn[/t]] catkins N COUNT A catkin is a long, thin, soft flower that hangs on some trees, for example birch trees and hazel trees …   English dictionary

  • catkin — noun Etymology: from its resemblance to a cat s tail Date: 1578 a spicate inflorescence (as of the willow, birch, or oak) bearing scaly bracts and unisexual usually apetalous flowers called also ament …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • catkin — noun A type of inflorescence, consisting of a slender axis with many unisexual apetalous flowers along its sides, as in the willow and poplar …   Wiktionary

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