noun
Botanical term for the green leafy part at the top of a fruit such as a persimmon or tomato. In everyday language, へた is the usual word.
柿のへたは食べられない。
You can't eat the calyx of a persimmon.
トマトのへたを取ってから切ってください。
Please remove the calyx from the tomato before cutting it.
Rare kanji form; the kana spelling へた is strongly preferred in modern writing.
がく is the formal botanical term for calyx, while へた is the everyday word used for the calyx of fruits.
The origin is uncertain. The reading へた may be related to へた (下手, 'unskillful') in the sense of something that is discarded or of low value, but this is speculative.