Question

Give one word/term for the following:
Arrangement of flowers on a twig/stem?

Answer 1

Flowers may be arranged in different ways on a stem or twig. This is a character with the help of which the floral diagram and the floral formula of any flower can be easily drawn and thus helps in its classification. The arrangement of the flowers on twig also helps in learning the morphology and reproductive characters of the plant. Let us know more about the arrangement of flowers.

Complete answer:
There are various ways in which a flower can be arranged onto a twig which is known as a peduncle. This arrangement of flowers on a twig or stem is called inflorescence .Following are the various types of inflorescence

Raceme – in this the flowers are arranged on the lateral axis arising from the main branch in an alternate fashion.

Spike – in this the flowers tend to grow only on the main axis in alternate fashion and not on the lateral branches arising from the main branch.

Corymb – The flowers arise from the lateral axis but the height of the lateral axis is equal to the height of the main axis. The lateral axis is in the alternate fashion.

Round Umbel – the flower axis arises from the apical meristem of the main axis and the shape of the plant is like an umbrella.

Flat Umbel – the arrangement is just like that of the round umbel but the shape of the plant is like an inverted umbrella.

Capitulum – the flowers arise on the single branch which is horizontal to the ground in a series just like the shape of a T.

Panicle – the plant rows in the upward direction and the lateral branches start forming in an alternate fashion. The flowers grow on these lateral branches having their separate lateral twigs.

Compound Corymb – when the panicle type of inflorescence tends to grow in the shape of a corymb having the height of all the branches at the same level, then it is called a compound corymb.

Compound Umbel – when more than one umbel type inflorescence occurs on a single main axis then it is called compound umbel.

Note: There are more different types of the inflorescence occurring in nature but most of them do not occur in a wider variety of plants and because of which they are not discussed in the books but when observing a flower in a key we can get an idea of those rare inflorescence.