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The innumerable flower shapes are just as diverse and unique as nature itself. It doesn't matter whether it's slender panicles, delicate labiate flowers, coarse basket flowers, particularly filigree flowers or very flat flower umbrellas.
In a nutshell
- Flowers are used by seed and flowering plants for reproduction
- are particularly striking because of their colors and shapes
- Flower shape can vary greatly depending on the plant family
- Plant families such as daisy, cruciferous, lamiaceae, umbelliferae, legumes and roses
- flower shapes that occur particularly frequently are, for example: racemose, paniculate, umbel-shaped, spiked, cup-shaped, funnel-shaped and as heads or cups
Shapes from A - G
ears of corn
- unbranched inflorescences with a stretched main axis (spindle)
- differs from grapes in having sessile single flowers
- spike-like arranged behind the bracts (glumes).
- lowermost flowers usually bloom first
- Spikelets in sour grasses, numerous, simple, densely packed glumes
- in sweet grasses, consisting of one or only a few flowers
- occurs, for example, in rose plants
Tip: Spikelets that are very short on the main axis are so-called false spikes.
flowers with spurs
- Inflorescence spur, a hollow, usually cone-shaped appendage in the inflorescence
- usually longer than wide
- may be formed from sepals, petals, or sterile stamens
- a natural adaptation to long-nosed insects or long-beaked birds
- usually serves as a nectar container
- Examples of plants: violets, larkspur, nasturtium, delphinium, monkshood, columbine
Tip: The spur of a flower results from a strong, localized growth.
Brush and brush-like
- characterized by brush or brush-shaped stamens
- Stamens and styles particularly long
- protrude from the flower
- Flower types usually have an inconspicuous shell
- can consist of single flowers or inflorescences with numerous single flowers
- Examples: wicker, devil's claw, water daisy, spiked Christopher's herb, buckhorn
umbel flowers
- typical for umbellifers
- Inflorescence consists of many umbels
- each umbel ray (lateral axis) carries a smaller umbel (double umbel)
- so-called multi-ray umbels
- unbranched, single-flowered lateral axes arise from one point
- Main axis of inflorescence shortened
- Examples: fennel, parsley, dill, carrot, celery, parsnip, angelica, aniseed, man litter, fennel
Bell, cup and funnel shaped
- precise definition is not always possible
- Flower shapes may change after the main bloom
- Funnel flowers narrow towards the bottom
- form roughly the shape of a funnel
- bell-shaped are pendulous, narrowed towards the top
- Standing cup flowers, slightly narrowed towards the bottom
- pendulous cup-flowers, slightly narrowed towards the top
- Examples of bluebells: lily of the valley, grape hyacinth, snowdrop, comfrey
- funnel-shaped: autumn crocus, petunia, small periwinkle, real valerian
- cup-shaped: checkered flower, brook avens, deadly nightshade
Forms of H - K
kitten
- typical flower shape of the willow
- Kittens can be male or female
- predominantly male inflorescences of trees and shrubs
- consist of numerous inconspicuous individual flowers
- arranged in compact racemes or spikes
- usually hanging, somewhat less often standing upright
- Kittens fall off after pollen is released
- Examples: willow, silver birch, hazel, poplar blossom
Pistons
- has the basic characteristics of an ear of corn
- can be fruit or inflorescence
- The shape of the flower is characterized by a fleshy, thickened main axis and a cylindrical shape
- Flower has no stalk, sits directly on top
- very short spadix, very similar to a head
- occurs in the grass family
- Examples: cattails, corn cobs, calamus, millet, calla blossom
heads or cups
- Basket and bowl are very similar in structure
- Differences mainly in single flowers
- exclusively in composite plants, composed of ray and/or tubular flowers
- Basket looks like a single large flower (false flower)
- several smaller flowers as partial inflorescences, so-called double basket
- Heads are sessile single flowers
- usually surrounded by a covering of bracts
- bracts differently shaped
- sit densely packed, on conical or disc-shaped inflorescences
- at the end of the inflorescence axis, the top floor
- occur in daisy family, rose and knotweed plants
- Examples: marigold, sunflower, spear thistle, cornflower, milk thistle, dahlia, mountain aster
tip: As a rule, one only speaks of a basket in the case of daisy family, otherwise of heads.
cruciferous
- cruciferous means they have the shape of a cross (hence the name cruciferous plants)
- have four petals and six stamens
- sit as a raceme, double raceme, rarely also cymes on the stems
- Perianth consists of calyx and corolla
- Examples of plants: bittercress, radish, rocket, cress, wallflower, toothroot, hunger flowers
Shapes from L - R
Lip-flowered
- Outer edges of the flower-tube, the shape of lips, bisected
- Upper lip conceals styles and stamens
- Flower tube is long and narrow
- Lower lip of the flower put over the upper lip, mechanically closed
- Examples of labiate: sage, quail wheat, betony, sweet pea, crooked shield flower
throat flowers
- have a larger flower body
- relatively large and deep inflorescence
- Stamens and styles in the upper part of the flower
- Inflorescence has lips at base
- Locking bristles on the edge of the petals
- protect against intrusion, for pollination of irrelevant small animals
- Examples: balsam, foxglove, figwort, monkshood, nasturtium, viper's bugloss
Tip: Many of these flowers are poisonous, keep children and pets away if possible.
panicles
- Panicles widespread as flower form
- have a loose structure, seem to float
- branched, multi-flowered lateral axes along the main axis
- mostly strict contours
- upright candles, elongated panicles, flattened parasol panicles, funnel-shaped spire
- Spire: paniculate inflorescence composed of single flowers, heads or spikelets
- occur among others in knotweed plants, sweet grasses and nightshade plants
- Examples: Montbretia, lilac, lily of the valley, goat's beard, delphinium, black elder, grapevine
tubular flowers
- rather rare in botany
- Shape of the flower tubular horizontally or pendulous
- is formed from the inner petals
- relatively narrow flower tube
- Pollination mainly by insects with a long proboscis or long tongue
- Examples: moths, bumblebees
Shapes from S - Z
Disc and cup flowers
- a single flower or solitary flower from the inflorescence of an umbellifer or composite plant
- Disc flower, shape of a bulging disc
- Cup flower, similar to the shape of a bowl
- also not fully open disc flower, the shape of a cup flower
- unrestricted access also allows pollination by beetles and flies
- Examples: different types of dahlias
peduncle flowers
- narrow, tubular flower neck
- a flat disc sits on the neck of the flower
- often dense, arched, umbel-like inflorescences
- attract butterflies and other insects
- typical representatives: perennial silver leaf, Carthusian, crown and cuckoo carnation, red campion
grape (umbrella grape, double grape)
- stalked flower on the side of a continuous, stretched shoot axis
- Basic form in many plant families
- in cruciferous plants, legume plants and hyacinth plants
- Umbrella cluster and double cluster, slightly different shape
- Umbrella raceme: compressed main axis, elongated flower-bearing secondary axes
- Double raceme: racemose partial inflorescences
- Examples of grape: vetch, vineyard grape hyacinth
- Umbrella grape: Examples: umbel candytuft, umbellate milk star, tansy
- Double cluster: yellow sweet clover
cyme
- also called pseudodole
- Spherical to umbrella-shaped inflorescences
- externally strongly resemble an umbel
- many small single flowers perched on stalks
- are close together in one plane
- several secondary axes below the terminal flower
- Major and minor axes branch out
- occurs in carnation and spurge plants, rather rarely in cruciferous plants (Brassicaceae).
- Examples: snowball, stonecrop, sundew, bugloss, cornus
cones
- male and female reproductive organs of conifers
- usually lignified female inflorescences
- Flower consists of fruit, bract and ovule
- overlapping scale-like bracts
- male flowers do not lignify, fall off after flowering
- Examples: pine, spruce, conifer, juniper, alder, cycads
frequently asked Questions
Are there different flower shapes within a plant species?Yes, one species can produce two or three different flower types (heteromorphy). This is said to make self-pollination more difficult and promote cross-pollination. The individual flower types differ in the different length ratios between style and stamens and the attachment height of the stamen position.
Why are the flower colors fading?If the color is fading, it may be due to an unfavorable location with too much sun or because they have recently been transplanted. Some flowers also lose some of their color after pollination. As a rule, this is also part of the development of plants.
Why are some flowers fragrant and others not?They mainly produce scent to attract insects or pollinators. If there is no scent, they usually use their sometimes intense coloring for this. Of course, there are also flowers with a smell that is very unpleasant for the human nose and even has a real smell of rot. This is also intended to attract certain insects, especially fly species, and serve to protect them from pests.