Exercises - Basic flower terminology

E x t e n s i on G a r d e n e r - B o t a n y E x e r c i s e s

Introduction Defense Twigs and buds Leaf structure Leaf shape Flower structure Inflorescence type

Basic flower morphology

This exercise focuses on basic flower terminology. As you've seen already, flowers are incredibly diverse in structure. Consequently, a deep and complex vocabulary has arisen to precisely characterize the variations in form. With this in mind, know that the following is intended only as an introduction and is obviously not comprehensive. For the following exercise, first study the images below to review the terms used to describe the basic structure of the flower. Then, carefully study the unsorted images at left and drop each thumbnail into an appropriately labeled box on the right. Clicking on a thumbnail will expand the image. Click submit to check yourself. To reset, click clear or just refresh your browser. Note: Arrows point to desired focus (e.g., sepal, petal, anther, filament, etc.).