pappus

n. [ L., an old man or grandfather; hence, a substance resembling gray hairs, Gr. &unr_;. ] (Bot.) The hairy or feathery appendage of the achenes of thistles, dandelions, and most other plants of the order Compositæ; also, the scales, awns, or bristles which represent the calyx in other plants of the same order. [ 1913 Webster ]