A small cup-shaped structure or organ in plants, especially the cup-like involucre that holds acorns or similar nuts.
From Latin 'cupula' (small cup), a diminutive of 'cupa' (barrel). The word is used primarily in botany to describe specific structures that protect or hold developing seeds and nuts.
That little woody cup you find underneath an acorn is called a cupule—it's made from the plant's own bracts (modified leaves), and it's perfectly designed to hold the nut securely until it falls and can sprout. Nature's packaging!
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