in a general sense, denotes a receptacle or cover in form of a bag.

Capsule, among botanists, a dry, hollow, seed-vessel, or pericarpium, that cleaves or splits in some determinate manner. See Pericarpium.

This species of seed-vessel is frequently fleshy and succulent, like a berry, before it has attained maturity; but, in ripening, becomes dry, and often so elastic as to dart the seeds from their departments with considerable velocity. This elasticity is remarkably conspicuous in wood-forrel; ballam, impatiens; African spira, digyna; fraxinella; jujiftica; ruellia; barleria; latibrosa; and many others.—The general aptitude or disposition of this species of seed-vessel to cleave or separate for the purpose of dispersing its seeds, distinguishes it not less remarkably than its texture from the pulpy or succulent fruits of the apple, berry, and cherry kind. This opening of the capsule for discharging its seeds when the fruit is ripe, is either at the top, as in most plants; at the bottom, as in triglochin; at the side through a pore, or small hole, as in campanula and orchis; horizontally, as in plantain, amaranthus, and anagallis; or longitudinally, as in convolvulus. All fruit that is jointed, opens at every one of the joints, each of which contains a single seed. Capsules, in splitting, are divided, externally, into one or more pieces, called by Linnæus, valves. The internal divisions of the capsules are called cells, loculamenta; these, in point of number, are exceedingly diversified; some having only one cell, as the primrose; and others many, as the water-lily. Hence a capsule is termed unicellular, bicellular, tricellular, &c., according as it has one, two, three, &c. cells or cavities.

Capsula Atrabilariæ, called also glandula renales, and renes succenturiati. See Anatomy, n° 361.