Acyclic flower is a flower type formed out of a series ofwhorls;[1] sets of identical organs attached around the axis at the same point. Most flowers consist of a single whorl ofsepals termed acalyx; a single whorl ofpetals termed acorolla; one or more whorls ofstamens (together termed theandroecium); and a single whorl ofcarpels termed thegynoecium. This is a cyclic arrangement.
Some flowers contain flower parts with a spiral arrangement. Such flowers are not cyclic. However in the common case of spirally arranged sepals on an otherwise cyclic flower, the termhemicyclic may be used.[2]
The suffix-cyclic is used to denote the number of whorls contained within a flower. The most common case is thepentacyclic flower, which contains five whorls:[3] a calyx, a corolla, two whorls of stamens, and a single whorl of carpels. Another common case is thetetracyclic flower, which contains only one whorl of stamens, and therefore only four whorls in total.Tricyclic flowers also occur, generally where there is a single undifferentiatedperianth. Flowers with more than five whorls are also not uncommon. The greatest variation occurs in the calyx and the androecium. Calyces of up to nine whorls have been recorded, and up to 12 whorls of stamens have been observed.
.svg) | Thisplant morphology article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |