Flower Structures

Plant Science

Floret

A small flower, often part of a larger inflorescence.

Inflorescence

The arrangement of flowers on a floral axis.

Complete flower

A flower with all four main parts.

Incomplete flower

A flower missing one or more of the four primary parts.

Perfect flower

A flower that has both male and female reproductive parts.

Imperfect flower

A flower missing one of the reproductive structures.

Monoecious

Plants that produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

Dioecious

Plants that have staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants.

Peduncle

The main stem of the inflorescence or the stem of a solitary flower.

Pedicel

The stem that supports an individual flower in an inflorescence.

Spike

An unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence with sessile flowers.

Raceme

A simple, indeterminate inflorescence where each flower has a pedicel.

Panicle

An indeterminate inflorescence with branched flowers.

Corymb

An indeterminate inflorescence with a flat top appearance.

Umbel

An indeterminate inflorescence where all pedicels arise from a common point.

Cyme

A determinate inflorescence that is flat-topped, with outer flowers opening last.

Composite head

A dense cluster of flowers with ray and disk types.

Spadix

A thick, fleshy flower spike surrounded by a bract or leaf.

Ray flowers

Outer flowers of a composite head modified to form an extended corolla.

Disk flowers

Tubular flowers that are found in the center of composite heads.