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Term	Definition
Actinomorphic flower	A flower, capable of being divided, by more than one line passing through the middle of the flower, into two equal parts that are mirror images of one another; e.g., in Gustavia (Lecythidaceae), species of Myrtaceae, and species of Rubiaceae. Same as polysymmetric, radially symmetrical, and regular flowers and opposite of zygomorphic, monosymmetric, bilateral, and irregular flowers. This term can refer to other plant parts as well.
Aestivation	The arrangement of the parts of the perianth in the floral bud.
Amphitropous	Referring to an ovule with a curved embryo sac in which the stalk (funicle) is curved such that the tip of the ovule and the base of the stalk are near one another. Compare with anatropous.
Androecial hood	In the Lecythidaceae, the distal part of the ligule that has become modified either structurally by coiling inward or by the production of staminodes, vestigial stamens, or nectar-producing vestigial stamens. Androecial hoods are usuallly separated from the staminal ring by an appendage-free part of the ligule (the only known exception is Couroupita nicaraguarensis and perhaps a species of the Lecythis sec. Pisonis group not yet identified. Androecial hoods of Lecythidaceae vary according to their degree of structural complexity and the type of androecial appendages they possess.
Androecium (plural = androecia)	The collective term for the staminate structures (i.e., the stamens and staminodes) of a flower; the stamens as a unit.
Androgynophore	A stalk that is elevated above the point of perianth attachment and supports the androecium and gynoecium; e.g., species of Passifloraceae.
Androphore	A stalk elevated above the point of perianth attachment and supporting the stamens; e.g., the united filaments of species of Menispermaceae and Myristicaceae.
Andropodium	In the Podostemaceae, a stalk formed as the result of fusion of the filaments.
Antepetalous	Referring to structures, usually stamens, inserted opposite or facing the petals.
Antesepalous	Referring to structures, usually stamens, inserted opposite or facing the sepals.
Anther	The pollen-bearing part of the stamen.
Anther dehiscence lateral	Referring to the anthers of many flowering plants that open along the side.
Anther sac	See theca.
Anther versatile	A stamen in which the filament is attached to the anther above the base of the anther.
Antheriferous	Bearing anthers.
Antherode	The anther of a staminode; an anther that bears pollen that does not germinate; in the Lecythidaceae, antherodes are found in the androecial hood and in the innermost row of anthers on the ligular side of the staminal ring of some species, in the Lecythidaceae antherodes are often different in color, usually yellow, than the anthers of the stamens which are usually white.
Anthers basifixed	Referring to an anther attached to the filament at its base.
Anthesis	The expanding and opening of a flower.
Antipodals	Three cells located at the end of the matural megagametophyte opposite the micropyle. These cell apparently have no function and desintegrate after fertilization.
Apetalous flower	Without petals.
Apical placentation	A type of placentation in which the ovules are attached at the apex of the locule. See placentation.
Apotropous	Referring to an ovule with a ventral raphe.
Ascending-cochleate	Referring to a type of corolla aestivation in the Acanthaceae in which one petal, being larger than the others covers the other petals in bud.
Asymmetric flower	Same as zygomorphic flower.
Aureole	See eyespot.
Axile placentation	A type of ovule arrangement in which the ovules arise from placental tissue derived from the apices of the septa of a locule. In this type of placentation the apices of the septa are fused or in very close proximity to one another.
Banner	The upper, broad petal of Fabaceae. Same as standard, banner, and vexillum with standard the preferred term.
Basal placentation	A type of placentation in which the ovules arise from the base of the locule.
Bilabiate	Two-lipped, usually referring to zygomorphic calyces and corollas such as those found in the Lamiaceae.
Bilaterally symmetrical flower	A flower capable of being divided into only two equal parts (mirror images) by a line passing through the middle of a flower, i.e., other lines passing the middle of the flower will not give mirror images of one another; same as zygomorphic, monosymmetric, and irregular flowers and opposite of actinomorphic, monosymmetric, radially symmetrical, and regular flowers. This term can refer to other plant parts as well.
Bilocular	Having two locules.
Binucleate pollen	Referring to pollen grains that have two nuclei when shed from the anthers. Compare with trinucleate pollen.
Biseriate perianth	Referring to a perianth with two whorls or rows; i. e. with both calyx and corolla. Compare with uniseriate.
Bisexual flower	Referring to a flower with a functional androecium and a functional gynoecium. Same as perfect.
Bracteole	A small bract usually inserted on the pedicel.
Bracteoles above articulation	Bracteoles inserted above the articulation in the pedicel/hypanthium continuum of Lecythidaceae.
Bracteoles below articulation	Bracteoles inserted below the articulation in the pedicel/hypanthium continuum of Lecythidaceae.
Callus	A thickened part of an organ; e.g., in some Orchidaceae, the fleshy outgrowth of the labellum, or in the Poaceae, the hardened base of the spikelet or floret just above the point of disarticulation.
Calycine	Belonging to the calyx; e.g., in species of Lecythidaceae, the calycine rim, or line of scars left by the calyx.
Calyx (plural = calyces)	The outer circle or first whorl of floral parts; a collective term for the sepals.
Calyx tube	In a gamosepalous calyx, the lower fused part; less commonly, in Ericaceae with inferior ovaries, the proximal portion of the calyx fused with the ovary wall which is the same as hypanthium in other flowering plants.
Calyx-lobe	Similar to sepal but used to describe the lobe of a calyx with the sepals fused at their bases and with free lobes at the apex; less frequenly to describe species of some families that have inferior ovaries with the lower part of the calyx hypothesized to be fused to the ovary at the base but with free lobes departing from the apex of the ovary.
Carpel	The fundamental unit of the gynoecium, often considered to be a folded, specialized leaf.
Carpellate flower	Referring to unisexual flowers with functional gynoecia but without functional stamens (staminodes may be present). Same as female or carpellate flowers.
Caudical	In some species of Orchidaceae, an extension of the pollinium which is part of the pollen mass and produced within the anther.
Caudicle	See translator.
Choripetalous corolla	Haviing petals free from one another. Same as polypetalous; opposite of gamopetalous and sympetalous.
Clavuncle	The expanded distal part of the style, including the stigma, in some species of Apocynaceae. Same as style head.
Clinandrium	In the Orchidaceae, the portion of the column upon which the anther is borne; the columnar tissue surrounding or covering the anther.
Coiled pedicel	A pedicel that coils like a spring after the fruits start to form, a mechanism found in a few species of plants and functions to bring the fruits closer to the ground, presumably to make it easier for animals to disperse the seeds.
Colporate pollen	Referring to a pollen grain with composite apertures, each consisting of a furrow and a pore.
Colpus (plural = colpi)	An elongated aperture in the wall of a pollen grain.
Column	In the Orchidaceae, the structure formed by the fused androecium and gynoecium.
Column wing	In the Orchidaceae referring to a broadening of the column towards the apice which is normally lateral, but may be curved upward or downward.
Commissure	In the Apiaceae, the structure by which two carpels join one another.
Complete flower	A flower with all whorls of floral parts; i.e., calyx, corolla, stamen(s), and gynoecium. Compare with incomplete flower.
Compound pistil	A gynoecium composed of more than one carpel, same as compound ovary.
Connective	The tissue connecting the thecae of the anther and sometimes prolonged beyond its apex.
Convolute	Referring to a type of aestivation in which one margin of a petal or sepal is always to the outside of the adjacent one and the opposite margin is always to the inside of the adjacent one.
Coralline	Referring to a structure (e.g., corona) that appears like a corolla.
Corolla	The second whorl of floral parts; the collective term for the petals.
Corolla lobe	In a symetalous corolla, the upper, free segments.
Corolla throat	In a sympetalous corolla, the opening into the corolla tube.
Corolla tube	In a gamopetalous corolla, the lower fused part.
Corona	A structure located between the petals and the stamens of some flowers and derived from either of these organs; e.g., in Passiflora (Passifloraceae), some Apocynaceae subfamily Asclepiadoideae, and some Melastomataceae.
Corpus	Body; e.g., the main part of the style head in Apocynaceae.
Corpusculum	A structure connecting the two translators of the pollinia of Apocynaceae subfamily Asclepiadoideae, sometimes referred to as the “gland.”
Crassinucellate ovules	The presence of two or more cell layers between the megasporophyte and the epidermal cells in the early development of the megasporophyte which will develop into the ovule.
Diadelphous stamens	Stamens united into two, often unequal, sets; e.g., those of many Fabaceae, which have nine stamens in one set and one stamen in the other.
Didynamous stamens	With two pairs of stamens of unequal length.
Differentiated anthers	Referring to anthers that bear two types of pollen: 1) fertile pollen that is transferred to other flowers to effect fertilization and 2) sterile (= fodder) pollen that serves as a pollinator reward. The two types of pollen may differ in their ability to germinate, in their color (fodder pollen is often yellow), and in their morphology (e.g., the fertile anthers of Couroupita guianensis are in monads and the sterile ones are in tetrads), and their location (e. g., the fertile anthers are near the stigma and the sterile ones are in a group separate from the stigma in many species of Swartzia.
Diplostemony (diplostemonous)	With two series of stamens; those of the outer series inserted opposite the sepals, those of the inner series inserted opposite the petals. Compare with obdiplostemonous. Diplostemony is sometimes very difficult to determine in flowers at anthesis but becomes apparent with microtome and SEM studies of bud development of obdiplostemony which is also applicable to diplostemony (Endress, 2010).
Disc	A fleshy, lobed, or annular nectariferous structure found within flowers; the position can be either outside or within the stamens. Preffered spelling is disc. Not to be confused with disk flower in the Asteraceae.
Disk flower	An actinomorphic flower with a tubular corolla found in Asteraceae. Compare with ray flower.
Double calyx	A calyx with two apparent whorls; e.g., the calyx of Amphilophium painculatum.

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