an enclosing organ, cell, or spore case, esp the capsule of a moss
2. zoology
a hard outer covering, such as the cup-shaped container of a coral polyp
Derived forms
thecal (ˈthecal) or thecate (ˈthecate)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Latin thēca, from Greek thēkē case; related to Greek tithenai to place
Examples of 'thecae' in a sentence
thecae
Numerous pollen grains do not leave the microsporangium and germinate in the thecae.
Giełwanowska Irena, Kellmann−Sopyła Wioleta 2015, 'Generative reproduction of Antarctic grasses, the native species Deschampsia antarcticaDesv. and the alien species Poa annua L.', Polish Polar Researchhttp://www.degruyter.com/view/j/popore.2015.36.issue-3/popore-2015-0016/popore-2015-0016.xml?format=INT. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The androecium consists of three stamens with filaments and thecae connated into a synandrium.
González, Ana María, Popoff, Orlando Fabián, Salgado Laurenti, Cristina 2013, 'Structure of staminate flowers, microsporogenesis, and microgametogenesis in Helosiscayennensis var. cayennensis (Balanophoraceae)', Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madridhttp://rjb.revistas.csic.es/index.php/rjb/article/view/400/395. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Gothograptids evolved towards simplification of the tubarium and decrease in the number of thecae.
Anna Kozłowska 2015, 'Evolutionary history of the Gothograptus lineage of the Retiolitidae (Graptolithina)',Estonian Journal of Earth Scienceshttp://www.kirj.ee/public/Estonian_Journal_of_Earth_Sciences/2015/issue_1/earth-2015-1-56-61.pdf. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The majority of mature pollen grains remained inside microsporangia and germinated in the thecae.
Kellmann-Sopyła Wioleta, Koc Justyna, Górecki Ryszard J., Domaciuk Marcin, GiełwanowskaIrena 2017, 'Development of generative structures of polar Caryophyllaceae plants: the Arctic Cerastiumalpinum and Silene involucrata, and the Antarctic Colobanthus quitensis', Polish Polar Researchhttp://www.degruyter.com/view/j/popore.2017.38.issue-1/popore-2017-0001/popore-2017-0001.xml?format=INT. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The group comprises predominantly perennial herbs, the flowers characterized by anthers with prolonged connectives, often twisting above the thecae.
E. Retief 2002, 'The genus Trichodesma (Boraginaceae: Boraginoideae) in southern Africa', Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservationhttps://abcjournal.org/index.php/abc/article/view/479. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)