Flower Shapes Complete versus incomplete flower Complete flowers have all typical parts (sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil.
Powder puff tree (Calli...
Flower Shapes Complete versus incomplete flower Complete flowers have all typical parts (sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil.
Powder puff tree (Callilandra)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia) Back to main flower menu
Incomplete flowers are missing a typical part – like the petals.
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Flower Shapes Perfect versus imperfect flowers Perfect flowers are bisexual with functioning male and female parts in the same flower.
Hazelnut (Corylus) female flower
Ardisia (Ardisia) Back to main flower menu
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Imperfect flowers are unisexual with only male or female parts in a single flower.
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Flower Shapes Dioecious versus monecious plants Dioecious plants have imperfect flowers and male and female flowers reside on separate plants.
female flower
Holly (Ilex)
female flower
Monecious plants contain imperfect flowers and the male and female flowers are on the same plant but in different locations.
male flowers
male flower
Chestnut (Castanea)
There are examples where monecious and dioecious plants can produce some perfect flowers. When they appear on the same plant it is called polygamo-monecious. When it occurs on plants with unisexual flowers on different plants it is polygamo-dioecious. Back to main flower menu
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Flower Shapes Monecious plants Begonia produces male and female flowers in different flowers in the cyme and they open at different times to reduce self pollination.
male flowers
female flower
male flower female flowers Begonia (Begonia)
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Flower Shapes Monecious plants Pecan is a good example of a wind pollinated tree that produces male and female flowers on different flowers on the same tree. Female flower
female flower
male flower
Male flower Pecan (Carya) Back to main flower menu
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Flower Shapes Flowers without petals (apetalous) It is generally accepted that showy or fragrant petals function to interact with insect or mammal pollinators. Their job is to signal the pollinator of a potential flower find and in the process facilitate pollen transfer within or between flowers. Flowers that are wind pollinated tend to have reduced or no petals and therefore no obstructions between flying pollen and the stigma.
Date palm (Phoenix) Back to main flower menu
Barley (Hordeum) Back
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Maple (Acer)
Oak (Quercus)
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Flower Shapes Actinimorphic versus Zyomorphic flowers Actinimorphic flowers have a radial symmetry where the flower can be divided equally on two or more planes.
Primrose (Primula)
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Zygomorphic flowers have bilateral symmetry where the flower can be divided equally on only one plane.
Pansy (Viola)
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Flower Shapes Some characteristic flower shapes Bell-
Campanulate shaped Coroniform
Crownshaped
Cruciform
Crossshaped
Cucullate
Hooded
Cupuliform
Cupshaped
Double
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Funnelshaped
Inflated
bladdershaped
Salverform
Labiate
Lip-like petals
Spurred
With a spur
Stellate
Starshaped
Papillionoid
Butterflyshaped
Tubular
Tubeshaped
Reflexed
Petals bent back
Urceolate
Urnshaped
Ligulate
With extra petals
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Slipper orchids
Funnelform
Saccate
Strap-like
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Tube with flat lobes
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Flower Shapes Campanulate Bell-shaped flowers formed by fused petals.
Asia bell (Condonopsis)
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Bell flower (Campanula)
Redveined enkianthus (Enkianthus) Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Coroniform Flowers with a corona (crown). A corona is a group of petal-like organs between the petals and stamens.
Passion flower (Passiflora)
Daffodil (Narcissus) Back to main flower menu
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Flower Shapes Cruciform Flowers are cross-shaped with four petals.
Mustard
(Brassica nigra)
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Wallflower (Erysimum)
Phlox (Phlox)
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Bluets
(Hedyotis)
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Flower Shapes Culcullate Flowers that are hooded by modified fused petals.
Monk’s hood (Aconitum) Back to main flower menu
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Flower Shapes Cupuliform A cylindrical tube-like flower that does not have spreading petal tips.
Tulip (Tulipa) Back to main flower menu
Cup vine (Solandra) Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Double
Double flowers have additional floral organs compared to the usual sets of four, five or six found in most plants. The extra organs are usually petals that have replaced stamens. A semi-double flower has additional petals but stamens still remain. A fully double flower has lost most or all stamens to petals.
A semi-double rose (Rosa). Back to main flower menu
A fully double amaryllis (Hippeastrum). Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Funnelform A funnel shaped flower that widens from the base to the top.
Wild petunia (Ruellia)
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Gentian (Gentiana)
Virginia blue bells (Mertensia) Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Inflated Floral parts are swollen to form a bladder-like flower.
Soapwort (Sapanaria)
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Bladdernut (Staphylea)
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Flower Shapes Labiate Flowers with lip-like petals. Those with distinctly two lips are called bilabiate. Those like turtlehead are also galeate meaning helmet shaped. Those like blue sage are ringent meaning gaping because of the distance between the two lips.
Blue sage (Salvia) Back to main flower menu
Bugleflower (Ajuga)
Turtlehead (Chelone) Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Ligulate Flowers with a strap-like petiole especially those in composite flowers.
Zinnia (Zinnia) Back to main flower menu
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Flower Shapes Papillionoid Butterfly shaped flowers typical of some legumes. Flowers have petals modified into a large upper banner, two side wings, and two fused petals that form the lower keel that encloses the stamens.
Yellowwood (Cladrastis) Back to main flower menu
False indigo (Baptisia) Back to flower shapes menu
Lupine (Lupinus)
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Flower Shapes Reflexed Some flowers have petals that bend backwards. Petals that are fully bent are called reflexed, while those partially bent are called recurved.
Shooting star (Dodecatheron) petals are reflexed. Back to main flower menu
Lily (Lillium) petals are recurved. Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Saccate A flower with petals shaped like a sac as occurs in slipper orchids.
South American slipper orchid (Phragmipedium) Back to main flower menu
Slipper orchid (Paphiopedilum)
Kentucky lady slipper
(Cypripedium kentuckiense) Back to flower shapes menu
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Flower Shapes Salverform Tubular flowers that become spreading at the top.
Primrose (Primula)
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Rhododendron (Rhododendron)
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Flower Shapes Spurred Spurred flowers have a petal(s) modified into a spur. The spur is usually nectar containing to attract pollinators.
Delphinium (Delphinium) Back to main flower menu
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Flower Shapes Spurred Spurred flowers have a petal(s) modified into a spur. The spur is usually nectar containing to attract pollinators.
Columbine (Aquilegia) Back to main flower menu
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
Jewelweed (Impatiens)
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Flower Shapes Stellate Stellate flowers are star-shaped often with five petals.
Jasmine (Jasminum)
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Fire pink (Silene)
Pink (Dianthus)
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Flower Shapes Tubular A cylindrical tube-like flower that does not have spreading petal tips.
Fuschia (Fuschia)
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Iochroma (Iochroma)
Pinkroot (Spigelia)
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Flower Shapes Urceolate These flowers are urn or pitcher-like in shape.
