Distinguish from aryl, which is a type of organic chemical radical. In the context of organic molecules aryl refers to any Functional group or Substituent derived from a Simple aromatic ring, may it be Phenyl

Mature and immature arils of Taxus baccata, a European yew. A fleshy aril surrounds each seed.

Close-up of pomegranate arils - The seed can be seen inside the translucent flesh.

An aril (or arillus) is a fleshy covering of certain seeds formed from the funiculus (attachment point of the seed). A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored

The aril may create a fruit-like structure (called a false-fruit) and is produced by a few species of gymnosperms, notably the yews and related conifers in the families Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. Gymnosperm (Gymnospermae are a group of Spermatophyte seed-bearing Plants with Ovules on the edge or blade of an open Sporophyll, which are Taxus is a Genus of yews small coniferous Trees or Shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. In Biological classification, family ( Latin The family Taxaceae, commonly called the yew family includes three genera and about 7 to 12 species of Coniferous Plants or in other interpretations The family Cephalotaxaceae is a small grouping of Conifers with three genera and about 20 species closely allied to the Taxaceae, and included in that family Instead of having a woody cone as is typical of most gymnosperms, the reproductive structure of the yew consists of a single seed that becomes surrounded by a fleshy, cup-like covering. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs A cone (in formal botanical usage Strobilus, plural strobili is an organ on Plants in the division Pinophyta ( Conifers This covering is derived from a highly modified cone scale.

In the photographs of a European yew (Taxus baccata) at right and below, note that the aril starts out as a small, green band at the base of the seed, then turns brown to red as it enlarges and surrounds the seed, eventually becoming fleshy and scarlet in color at maturity. Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest The aril is attractive to fruit-eating birds and is non-toxic (all other parts of the yew are toxic), serving therefore to promote dispersal of the yew seed by birds, which digest the fleshy aril as a food source, and pass the seed out in their droppings. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs.

The fleshy aril which surrounds each seed in the yew is a highly modified seed cone scale.

The term aril is not limited to yews. It means any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus (or hilum) that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, or the mace of the nutmeg seed. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group The mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana) is a Tropical Evergreen Tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia The edible flesh of the longan, lychee, and ackee fruits is a highly developed aril surrounding the seed rather than a pericarp layer. The longan ( Cantonese long-ngan; literally " dragon eye" Thai ลำไย is a tropical Tree native to southern The Lychee ( Litchi chinensis) also spelled Litchi (the US FDA spelling or Laichi and Lichu, Chinese: 荔枝 The Ackee or Akee ( Blighia sapida) is a member of the Sapindaceae ( Soapberry family native to Tropical A Fruit in Botany refers to a mature ovary. In fleshy fruits the outer often edible layer is the pericarp, which is the tissue that develops

See also

• Elaiosome

References

• Anderson, E. Elaiosomes (elaios- oil some- body are fleshy structures that are attached to the Seeds of many Plant species & Owens, J. N. (2003). Analysing the reproductive biology of Taxus: should it be included in Coniferales? Acta Hort. 615: 233-234.