What is the function of sepals?
When a flower is a bud, it is surrounded bysepals, which in many cases are green, as in this example. They protect the flower bud and are behind/underneath the petals when the flower opens. Together, all of thesepalsare called a calyx. When a flower is a bud, it is surrounded bysepals, which in many cases are green, as in this example. They protect the flower bud and are behind/underneath the petals when the flower opens. Together, all of thesepalsare called a calyx. After flowering, most plants have no more use for the calyx which withers or becomes vestigial. Some plants retain a thorny calyx, either dried or live, as protection for the fruit or seeds. Examples include species of Acaena, some of the solanacaefor example the tomatillo,Physalis philadelphica), and the water calotrop,Trapa natans. In some species the calyx not only persists after flowering, but instead of withering, begins to grow until it forms a bladder-like enclosure around the fruit. This is an effective protection against some kinds of birds and insects, for example in Hibiscusand the cape gooseberry
Morphologically both sepals and petals are modified leaves. The calyx (the sepals) and the corolla (the petals) are the outer sterile whorls of the flower, which together form what is known as the perinath
The term tepal isusually applied when the parts of the perianth are difficult to distinguish,e.g. the petals and sepals share the same color, or the petals are absent and the sepals are colorful. When the undifferentiated tepals resemble petals, they are referred to as "petaloid", as inorders of monocots with brightly coloured tepals. Since they include liliales, an alternative name is lilioid monocots. Examples of plants in which the term tepal is appropriate include genera such as Aloeand Tulipa. In contrast, genera such as Rosaand phaseolushave well-distinguished sepals and petals.
The number of sepals in a flower is its merosity. Flower merosity is indicative of a plant's classification. The merosity of a eudicotflower is typically four or five. The merosity of a monocotorflower is three, or a multiple of three.
The development and form of the sepals vary considerably among flowering plantsThey may be free (polysepalous) or fused together (gamosepalous).Often, the sepals are much reduced, appearing somewhat awn-like, or as scales, teeth, or ridges. Most often such structures protrude until the fruitis mature and falls off.
After flowering, most plants have no more use for the calyx which withers or becomes vestigial. Some plants retain a thorny calyx, either dried or live, as protection for the fruit or seeds. Examples include species of Acaena, some of the solanacaefor example the tomatillo,Physalis philadelphica), and the water calotrop,Trapa natans. In some species the calyx not only persists after flowering, but instead of withering, begins to grow until it forms a bladder-like enclosure around the fruit. This is an effective protection against some kinds of birds and insects, for example in Hibiscusand the cape gooseberry
Morphologically both sepals and petals are modified leaves. The calyx (the sepals) and the corolla (the petals) are the outer sterile whorls of the flower, which together form what is known as the perinath
The term tepal isusually applied when the parts of the perianth are difficult to distinguish,e.g. the petals and sepals share the same color, or the petals are absent and the sepals are colorful. When the undifferentiated tepals resemble petals, they are referred to as "petaloid", as inorders of monocots with brightly coloured tepals. Since they include liliales, an alternative name is lilioid monocots. Examples of plants in which the term tepal is appropriate include genera such as Aloeand Tulipa. In contrast, genera such as Rosaand phaseolushave well-distinguished sepals and petals.
The number of sepals in a flower is its merosity. Flower merosity is indicative of a plant's classification. The merosity of a eudicotflower is typically four or five. The merosity of a monocotorflower is three, or a multiple of three.
The development and form of the sepals vary considerably among flowering plantsThey may be free (polysepalous) or fused together (gamosepalous).Often, the sepals are much reduced, appearing somewhat awn-like, or as scales, teeth, or ridges. Most often such structures protrude until the fruitis mature and falls off.
