Plural of ektexine; the outermost layer of pollen grain exine that forms the structure visible under a microscope.
From Greek 'ek-' meaning 'out' and 'texis' meaning 'arrangement' or 'order'. The term was coined in botanical terminology to describe the external sculptured layer of pollen.
Pollen grains have different 'fingerprints' based on their ektexines patterns—scientists can identify which plant a pollen came from just by looking at these tiny outer structures, which is crucial for forensic botany and allergy research.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.