Aril
An aril is a fleshy seed appendage that develops from tissue near the seed stalk. It often attracts animals that disperse the seed.
Seed: A plant structure containing an embryo and stored resources, capable of developing into a new plant. An aril is an appendage of this structure, rather than the seed embryo itself.
Seed dispersal: The movement of seeds away from the parent plant to sites where they may germinate. An aril can promote dispersal by attracting animals that carry or deposit the seed.
Fruit: A mature flowering-plant ovary, often containing seeds and sometimes joined by other floral tissues. An aril is an appendage associated with an individual seed, not necessarily the fruit surrounding it.
Mace: A spice made from the dried red aril surrounding the seed of the nutmeg tree. It is the best-known culinary product made directly from an aril.
Funiculus: The stalk that attaches an ovule or seed to the ovary wall or placenta. Arils develop from tissue associated with this seed stalk.
Zoochory: Seed dispersal by animals, including transport on bodies or passage through digestive systems. Fleshy arils are often eaten or carried by animals, making this a common dispersal route.
Pericarp: The mature ovary wall of a fruit, often differentiated into outer, middle, and inner layers. A fleshy pericarp can resemble an aril, but develops from the ovary wall.
Pomegranate: A fruit whose juicy edible seed coverings are commonly called arils. Its edible structures are often named arils in food contexts, though botanically they are seed coverings rather than the classic stalk-derived appendage.
Seed coat: The protective outer covering of a seed, developing from the integuments of the ovule. Its surface may be covered by an aril, but it is a distinct tissue.
Elaiosome: A nutrient-rich seed appendage that attracts ants, which carry the seed to their nests. It serves an animal-attraction role like an aril, but is specialized for ant dispersal.