Loment

Loments of Hedysarum hedysaroides

A loment (or lomentum) is a part of certain legume plants. It is a type of dehiscent[1] fruit that breaks apart at the constrictions occurring between segments, so that each segment contains only one seed.[2] It is a type of schizocarp.[1]

Tick trefoil (Desmodium) and sweet vetch (Hedysarum) are two genera that exhibit this fruit type, which is found particularly in the tribe Hedysareae of the family Fabaceae.

  1. ^ a b Bell, A.D. (1997). Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ Beentje, H. (2010). The Kew Plant Glossary: an Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms. illustrated by Williamson, J. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Kew Publishing.