Flowering Plants, Part 2

Updated: Jul 8, 2020

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.”

Buddha

In the last post, we began a look at Angiosperms, flowering plants, which are the largest and most common group of seed-bearing plants.

So, what is a flower? Take a minute to define what a flower is to you. How do you define a flower?

Here are some definition of flowers:

from the Collins Dictionary…”A flower is the part of a plant which is often brightly coloured, grows at the end of a stem, and only survives for a short time. A flower is a stem of a plant that has one or more flowers on it and has been picked, usually with others, for example to give as a present or to put in a vase. Flowers are small plants that are grown for their flowers as opposed to trees, shrubs, and vegetables.”
from Wikipedia…“Flowers are also called the bloom or blossom of a plant. Flowers have petals. Inside the part of the flower that has petals are the parts which produce pollen and seeds.”
from Merriam Webster…”Flowers are "the specialized part of an angiospermous plant that occurs singly or in clusters, possesses whorls of often colorful petals or sepals: BLOSSOM.”

Flowers are comprised of four (4) parts – petals, sepals, pistil, stamen. In this post, we will look at the non-reproductive parts of a flower – the petals and sepals. In the next post we will cover the reproductive parts of a flower – the pistil and stamen

Perianth – The Non-Reproductive Flower Parts

The Perianth consists of the sepals (calyx) and petals (corolla), both modified leaves, that surround and enclose the reproductive parts of the flower. The word “perianth”, derives from the French word “périanthe", means “envelope of a flower" and originates from the Greek words “peri”, meaning “around”, and “Anthos”, meaning “flower.”

Sepals. The word “sepal” derives from the Latin word “separatus” meaning separate, distinct” and “petalum” meaning petal. Sepals, located on the base of the flower and under the petal, provide protection to the reproductive parts of the flower while it is in the bud stage and often provides support for the petals when in bloom. Most sepals are green, however, sometimes they are colored making them difficult to distinguish from the petals; these are referred to as tepals (e.g. tulips). All the sepals together are known as the calyx. The word “calyx” is derived from the Latin word “calyx” and the from Greek word “kalyx” which means "seed pod, husk, outer covering" (of a fruit, flower bud, etc.)

Petals. The word “petal” derives from the Latin word “petalum” meaning “spread out” and from the Greek word “petalon” meaning “a leaf.” Petals create the shape of the flower and are often scented and highly colored to attract pollinators. At the base of the petal is the nectar gland. In some flowers, the petals are green and called petaloid. All of the petals together are known as the corolla, which in Latin means “a garland, a little crown.”

Types of Corolla

(illustration by Lizzie Harper)