{"id":330,"date":"2014-11-03T19:07:16","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T19:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orbisec.com\/?page_id=330"},"modified":"2014-11-03T19:07:16","modified_gmt":"2014-11-03T19:07:16","slug":"composite-flowers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/orbisec.com\/index.php\/composite-flowers\/","title":{"rendered":"Composite Flowers"},"content":{"rendered":"

YOUR DAILY DOSE OF BOTANY \u2013 SEPTEMBER\u00a02012<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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Composite Flowers<\/h2>\n

by Scott Namestnik, snamestnik@orbisec.com<\/a><\/h2>\n

The composites (members of the family Asteraceae, formerly Compositae) are an astonishing group of plants.\u00a0 In addition to having great economical value because of their use as foods such as lettuce, artichokes, and sunflower-based products, composites are amazing because of their highly evolved reproductive structures.\u00a0 When many people think of a typical daisy \u201cflower,\u201d they think of white \u201cpetals\u201d around a yellow \u201ccenter.\u201d\u00a0 However, daisies are composites, and those white structures are actually individual flowers themselves.\u00a0 So what is the yellow \u201ccenter?\u201d That, too, is a cluster of flowers!\u00a0 Using the daisy as our example, the yellow structures in the center of the flower head are what are known as disc florets, flowers that are radially symmetrical (meaning that two or more longitudinal sections of the flowers will look like mirror images).\u00a0 The white structures in our example are known as ray florets, each with a tubular base and flattened strap-like fused petals that form the ray.\u00a0 Thus, the daisy \u201cflower\u201d is not just a flower but a \u201ccomposite\u201d of flowers clustered together on a receptacle (a platform formed by the expanded upper part of the flower stalk) to mimic a single flower. The composites are also a diverse bunch, with some species having both ray and disc florets (like the daisy), some having only ray florets (such as chicory [Cichorium intybus<\/em>]), and some having only disc florets (such as blazing star [Liatris<\/em> spp.]).<\/p>\n

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Although composites can be found in flower year-round (yes, even in the depths of winter, you can find a blooming common dandelion [Taraxacum officinale<\/em>] if you look hard enough), many, such as asters (Aster<\/em> spp.), goldenrods (Solidago<\/em> spp.), and sunflowers (Helianthus<\/em> spp.) are coming into glory right now.\u00a0 Get out there soon to see the magnificent composite floral structures of plants in the family Asteraceae!<\/p>\n

\"Flower<\/a>
Flower head of prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), showing radially symmetrical disc florets and strap-like ray florets with fused petals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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If you have a question about plant terminology or morphology that you would like answered in a future edition of this column, send me an email at snamestnik@orbisec.com<\/a>. I may not be able to address all requests given the space allotted for this column, but I will answer those that I can.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to see more of Scott’s informative work<\/h3>\n