One half of a fruit that splits into two similar parts, like a walnut or sunflower seed.
From Greek 'hemi-' (half) + 'karpos' (fruit). In botany, this term specifically refers to the two halves of a schizocarp, a type of dry fruit that naturally separates into single-seeded pieces.
When you split open a sunflower seed pod, you're literally holding a hemicarp in each hand—the scientific name is just the botanical way of saying 'half a fruit'!
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