palea

noun

pa·​lea ˈpā-lē-ə 

plural paleae ˈpā-lē-ˌē 

1

: one of the chaffy scales on the receptacle of many composite plants

2

: the upper bract that with the lemma encloses the flower in grasses

paleal

ˈpā-lē-əl 

adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, chaff — more at pallet

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1