indusium
/ɪnˈduːziəm/
noun
- A thin, protective covering or membrane, especially the flap of tissue that covers the spore-producing structures (sori) on the underside of a fern leaf.
- The indusium protects the developing spores until they are ready to be released into the air.
- Botanists can identify different fern species by the shape and position of the indusium on the leaf.
- When you look at the back of a fern frond, you might see tiny brown dots covered by a small flap called the indusium.
- In anatomy, a thin layer or membrane that covers or surrounds a structure, such as the indusium griseum (a thin layer of gray matter on the surface of the corpus callosum in the brain).
- Damage to the indusium griseum can affect memory and emotional processing.
- The indusium griseum is a thin strip of gray matter that runs along the top of the corpus callosum.
- During the dissection, the students observed the delicate indusium covering part of the brain's surface.