Red clover inflorescence (spike)

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers on a branch of a plant. In botany, the term refers to the way individual flowers are arranged on the plant, which arise on the same stem. two fundamental terms used to describe the nature of inflorescences are: Download high resolution version (800x1019, 177 KB)Red clover (Trifolium pratense). ... Download high resolution version (800x1019, 177 KB)Red clover (Trifolium pratense). ... Binomial name Trifolium pratense L. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) is a species of clover, native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. ... A Phalaenopsis flower A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... Pinguicula grandiflora Botany is the scientific study of plantlife. ...

Determinate - the first flowers of the inflorescence to open are at the top end of inflorescence or terminal. The top flower blooms first.

Indeterminate - the first flowers to bloom are the ones at or near the bottom of the inflorescenes, that is the first flowers start blooming at the bottom of the stem or inside a cluster of flowers.

A flower head (Bidens torta) showing the individual florets

Poinsettia inflorescence, showing several florets

A Banksia grandis inflorescence may have 6000 individual flowers

There are numerous kinds of inflorescences, some characteristic of families or orders of plants. Following is a list of terms used to describe inflorescences with links to examples: Download high resolution version (700x698, 91 KB)Photograph of flower head of Bidens torta taken December 30, 2002 at Kolekole Pass, Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Hawaii by Eric Guinther and released under the GNU Free Documentation License. ... Download high resolution version (700x698, 91 KB)Photograph of flower head of Bidens torta taken December 30, 2002 at Kolekole Pass, Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Hawaii by Eric Guinther and released under the GNU Free Documentation License. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1232 KB) Summary Photo of Poinsettia, taken by Vineeth. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1232 KB) Summary Photo of Poinsettia, taken by Vineeth. ... Binomial name Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (524x688, 91 KB) Banksia grandis inflorescence, Margaret River area, Dec 2004 - photo by Cas Liber File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Inflorescence Banksia grandis ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (524x688, 91 KB) Banksia grandis inflorescence, Margaret River area, Dec 2004 - photo by Cas Liber File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Inflorescence Banksia grandis ... Binomial name Banksia grandis Willd. ...

• A corymb is a racemose (see raceme) inflorescence that is flat-topped or convex because the outer pedicels are progressively longer than the inner ones (see also umbel).
• A cyme is a class of determinate inflorescences characterized by the terminal flower blooming first.
• A head is a dense, indeterminate inflorescence of sessile or subsessile flowers crowded on a compound receptacle; sometimes called a capitulum or pseudanthium. Characteristic of the Asteraceae.
• A panicle is a branched, indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate (having short floral stalks) flowers on the secondary branches.
• A raceme is an unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate (having short floral stalks) flowers along the axis. Compare with spike.
• A spadix is a stalk with flowers densely arranged around it, enclosed or accompanied by a spathe. It is characteristic of the Araceae.
• A spike is an unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence with sessile flowers arranged along the axis. Compare with raceme.
• An umbel is a type of raceme with a short axis and multiple floral pedicels of equal length that appear to arise from a common point. Inflorescence characteristic of the Apiaceae. A compressed cyme is called umbelliform if it resembles an umbel.

Some specialized terms used for inflorescences include: White-fruited Rowan (Sorbus glabrescens) corymb; note the branched structure A panicle is a compound raceme; a branched, indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers (and fruit) attached along the secondary branches (in another words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes). ... This inflorescence of the terrestrial orchid Spathoglottis plicata is a typical raceme. ... Umbels on Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. ... Cyme can refer to: Cyme, a botanical term a for a class of flower clusters (see inflorescence) characterized by the terminal flower in the cluster blooming first. ... Example of a flower head. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers on a branch of a plant. ... A pseudanthium (Greek: false flower) is a special type of inflorescence, in which several flowers are grouped together to form a flower-like structure. ... Diversity About 1500 genera and 23,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae... White-fruited Rowan (Sorbus glabrescens) corymb; note the branched structures holding the fruits. ... This inflorescence of the terrestrial orchid Spathoglottis plicata is a typical raceme. ... Elephant ear or ape flower (Xanthosoma roseum) with a white spadix partially surrounded by a green-, rose-, and cream-colored spathe In botany, a spadix (pl. ... Elephant ear or ape flower (Xanthosoma roseum) with a white spadix partially surrounded by a green-, rose-, and cream-colored spathe In botany, a spadix (pl. ... Genera See text. ... This inflorescence of the terrestrial orchid Spathoglottis plicata is a typical raceme. ... Umbels on Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. ... Genera See text Ref: Hortiplex 2003-11-14 The Apiaceae, the carrot or parsley family, are a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, including parsley, carrot, and other relatives. ... Cyme can refer to: Cyme, a botanical term a for a class of flower clusters (see inflorescence) characterized by the terminal flower in the cluster blooming first. ... Umbels on Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. ...

• Ament - a deciduous, spike like structure with scaly bracts that is unisexual and the flowers do not have petals.
• Compound - a collection of two or more simple inflorescences aggregated together. e.g., panicle.
• Catkin - a soft spike or raceme, composed of small unisexual flowers. After flowering is finished the structure (catkin) normally falls away as one unit. Birch tree.
• Scorpioid cyme - a cyme which unfolds like a coil, the way a scorpions tall unfolds from under its body. Forget-me-not.
• Solitary - with only one flower in the inflorescence. Many Tulips, Trillium.
• Spike - the flowers are arranged on a single axis and have no pedicels(stems that hold flowers)The flowers are joined close to the stem in a long row.
• Thyrse - compact, densely packed inflorescence that has an indeterminate main axis but is laterally determinate.
• Verticil - the flowers are arranged in clusters around the nodes in whorls. Many plants in the Mint family.

In some plants, especially those in family Proteaceae, the inflorescence may be a complex structure consisting of many smaller inflorescences. For example, Banksia flowers occur in pairs, which are then clustered together to form a dense head. In such cases, the term "inflorescence" may be ambiguous. To deal with this, it has been proposed that a cluster of inflorescences be termed a "conflorescence" or "synflorescence". This terminology has been in use for around 30 years, but has not been widely adopted. Drawn by myself. ... Genera See text The Proteaceae are a large family of flowering plants, which includes 75-80 genera and 1500 species of evergreen trees, shrubs, and herbs. ... Diversity About 80 species; see List of Banksia species Synonyms Sirmuellera<br. ...

In some plants, the structure that holds the flowers together persists until fruit is formed, resulting in a fruiting structure in which individual fruit are embedded. In such cases, the fruiting stage of the inflorescence is termed an infructescence.

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Inflorescence