The 30 types of flowers that exist: classification and characteristics
We are all familiar with flowers, either during a walk or in the form of a surprise for an anniversary or birthday, these reproductive structures of plants sweeten any situation with their characteristic scents and vivid colors.
Beyond their aesthetic value and organoleptic characteristics, flowers fulfill an essential biological function: the dispersion of pollen in spermatophyte plants and the subsequent formation of the fruit, which encloses the seeds that will give rise to a new plant. Thanks to these beautiful structures, many species of plants endure throughout the evolutionary history of the Earth.
Leaving evolutionary and superficial concepts behind, we realize that we have a lot of ground to cover if we only look at the morphology of flowers. Immerse yourself with us in the field of botany and gardening, because today we tell you the 30 types of flowers that exist and their characteristics. We promise that some of the ways we show you here will surprise you.
- We recommend you read: "The 14 best indoor plants (ideal for purifying your home)"
What parts is a flower made of?
To begin by describing the types of flowers without knowing their basal structure is like beginning to build a house from the roof. For this reason, we quickly show you the parts of a flower. Go for it:
Peduncle or pedicel: the axis or corner that supports the flower.
Receptacle: a widening of the pedicel on which the different parts of the flower are inserted.
Chalice: sterile part of the flower that is formed by a series of leaf-shaped structures, usually green, called sepals.
Corolla: another sterile part of the flower, in this case formed by the petals. Gives the color and the most immediate shape to the flower.
Stamens (androecium): the male reproductive system of the flower. Each stamen is made up of a filament and an anther, where the pollen is found.
Carpels (gynoecium): female organs of the flower, formed by the ovary, the style and the stigma.
Thus, we find 6 essential structures present in the flower. The sterile parts give shape to the external floral organ, while the reproductive systems are gathered by the petals and sepals.
The different types of existing flowers
Hold on, because curves are coming. As simple as this little botany class may seem, the typology of flowers can become extremely complex according to the parameters in which we look, because we have to take into account that there are more than 250,000 species of angiosperm plants (that produce flowers). We started.
1. According to the parties that present
The flower that has all the above-named parts is considered complete, while if it is missing any of them, it is naturally incomplete. We can observe a third meaning in which the flower is bare, that is, it is missing both the calyx and the corolla. According to the parts that the flower presents, then, the 3 named types can be distinguished:
1.1. Complete
It has each and every one of the parts that we have seen before.
1.2. Incomplete
It may be missing different parts but it has a calyx and corolla.
1.3. Naked
It has neither a calyx nor a corolla.
2. According to the presence of sexual organs
The sex of the plant refers to the presence and distribution of complete and incomplete flowers in the individuals of a species. Here we find the following types:
2.1. Hermaphrodite flower
It is one that has stamens and carpels, that is, androecium and gynoecium.
2.2. Male unisexual flower
It only has stamens. By definition it is incomplete, since it lacks carpels.
2.3. Female unisexual flower
It only has carpels. It is also incomplete.
2.4. Asexual or sterile flower
It lacks stamens and carpels.
3. According to the shape of the corolla
We enter more complex and aesthetic terrain, as we remember that the corolla is the sterile outer part of the flower formed by the petals. If the petals that make it up are separate, that is, they are independent, we will say that the corolla is dialipetal. Within this group we find different variants:
3.1. Cruciform
The corolla is made up of 4 equal petals arranged in the shape of a cross.
3.2. Rosacea
Five equal petals of a wide nature.
3.3. Glazed
Multiple of five petals, all equal and narrow.
3.4. Papillionacea
Five petals of uneven nature, a fact that gives the corolla a yellowish shape.
3.5. Tubulose
It has a cylindrical nature.
3.6. Infundibuliform
Funnel-shaped petals.
3.7. Campanulate
Corolla tube inflated, similar to a bell.
3.8. Hypocrateriform
Long and thin tube, with a flat blade (the part where the petals flow, where the shape of the flower ends).
3.9. Lipped
Leaf blade with two unequal segments.
3.10. Ligulate
The blade is shaped like a reed.
3.11. Spurred
With one or more nectariferous spurs.
4. According to the number of carpels
Like we have already said, carpels are the modified leaves that form the female reproductive part of the flower. The carpel is made up of the ovary, style, and stigma. When a flower has only one ovary, we are dealing with a single-skin, while if it has several, it is multi-skin (they can be united or separated).
4.1. Unicarpel
The flower has only one ovary.
4.2. Multi-skin
The flower has more than one ovary, which can be united or separated.
5. According to the shape of the inflorescences
According to the set of flowers that come out of the same bud (called inflorescence) we can classify the flowers into many types. We show you them briefly grouped into large groups:
5.1. In clusters
Several flowers (with their own peduncles) are inserted along a common axis.
5.2. Spike
Racemose inflorescence in which the leaves are sessile and the central axis is elongated. The youngest flowers are at the tip.
5.3. Umbel
In this case, the elongated peduncles of each flower start from a single main axis, as if it were an umbrella.
5.4. Chapter
The main peduncle takes the form of a "plate" or receptacle, where the flowers are placed. This is the case of the sunflower.
5.5. Corymb
The pedunculated flowers emerge from different points on the central axis and grow at the same height.
5.6. Pussy
They have dense hanging spikes of bare flowers.
6. According to floral symmetry
Floral symmetry refers to the number of planes present in a flower when viewed from above. According to this criterion, we also observe several clearly differentiated types:
6.1. Radial symmetry
The flower can be divided into 3 or more planes of symmetry. Between two rays the same morphological structure is repeated.
6.2. Biradial symmetry
It has two perpendicular planes of symmetry.
6.3. Bilateral symmetry
A single plane of symmetry, that is, the flower is made up of two “mirror” images.
6.4. Asymmetric
It does not have a plane of symmetry, usually as a product of the twisting of some of its parts.
The immense diversity of flowers
In total, we have counted you 30 types of flowers, but if we got technical, we would have only just started. We have left the classification based on the maturation of the flower, the placement of the stamens, the placentation, the types of stigmas and many other considerations. We assure you that, if we took into account all the possible variants within each of the flower structures, we could easily add about 50 more types.
Resume
Here we have been able to see 30 types of flowers depending on the parts they present, their sex, the shape of the corolla, the number of carpels, the shape of the inflorescences and the floral symmetry, but there are many possible types more. The botanical terrain of flowers is immeasurable because, with more than 250,000 species of angiosperms spread over the earth, it is obvious that their morphological and physiological adaptations will be as variable as the number of environments in which they are find.
Who would tell us that there is so much variety in the world of flowers or that, for example, a daisy was made up of many individual flowers? Of course, nature never ceases to surprise the human being, who catalogs everything that he observes in a meticulous and methodical way.
Bibliographic references
- Morphology of vascular plants, biología.edu.ar. Picked up on November 5 at http://www.biologia.edu.ar/botanica/tema4/4_5corola.htm#:~:text=Los%20p%C3%A9talos%20son%20los%20ant%C3%B3filos, the% 20s% C3% A9sticks% 20y% 20are% 20coloured. & text = Yes% 20los% 20p% C3% A9tals% 20are% 20free, presents% 20tubo% 2C% 20throat% 2C% 20limbo.
- The flowers and their forms, Botanical Garden- CSIC. Picked up on November 5 at http://www.ciudadciencia.es/doc/files/fichas%20complementarias/FICHA_RJB_4_CC.pdf
- FUNCTIONS, MORPHOLOGY AND TYPES OF FLOWERS. POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION. CFGM FOREST WORK AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION AGROTECNOLOGY (BOTANY). Picked up on November 5 at http://servicios.educarm.es/templates/portal/ficheros/websDinamicas/20/Flores.pdf
- Flower morphology, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA PLATA FACULTY OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST SCIENCES 2010 VEGETABLE MORPHOLOGY COURSE. Picked up on November 5 at https://mvegetal.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/3/4/863437/la_flor.pdf
