We all know how to recognize common flowers when we see them and most of us are able to distinguish their most colorful parts, such as petals or stamens, at least in the most popular species.
However, sepals are great strangers in many cases and that is, although they are very important, they go much more unnoticed when a flower is adult. Do you want to know what the sepals of a flower are? What are sepals for? If you want to find the answer to these and other questions, join us in this ecology article about What are the sepals and their function.
What are the sepals of flowers and their characteristics
The sepals of flowers are plant structures that appear in angiosperms plants, that is, the calls Flower plants. It’s some small Modified leavesof rough texture and herbaceous appearance, which are between the stem and the petals, acting as the outermost wrapping of the floral chalice.
¿Where are the sepalsso? At the end of the floral chalice, acting as a point of union with the stem. Another of the Characteristics of sepals It is more common that they tend to be green, thus differentiating from the flower petals, normally from other colors.
However, the question “What color are the sepals? “, It is not so easy to respond, because this condition is not always given and although most sepals are green, it is not the case of all. Some flowers, whose sepals share the color of the petals, are called Petaloid chalice, as occurs in tulips, lucenas or granado.
AND What are the sepals? Together with the petals, these make up what is called the Sterile Flowerbecause although they intervene in the pollination and fertilization process, they do not do it directly.
To finish explaining what they are, we have a last question about the characteristics of the sepals of the flowers. How many sepals does a flower have? Not all share the same number of these small modified sheets. Counting the number of sepals it will be easier to identify the different species, so they are a small help for scholars and more meticulous fans.
What function have the sepals of the flowers
¿What are the sepals of the flowers? The main function of the sepals occurs during the process of Flower formation. The main task of the sepals is Protect Flower’s reproductive organs In these first phases. Later, with the flower already mature and open, their function is much more secondary, and becomes that of preventing pollinators from taking shortcuts on their route to the nectar, forcing them to go through stamens and stigmas, which causes them to take the pollen.
In addition, the sepals are still small leaves so, in those flowers in which they maintain their green color (therefore, they have chlorophyll), they are able to perform photosynthesis, in addition to fulfilling other functions of the leaves such as breathing and perspiration, although logically and due to their small size, to a lesser extent than the leaves themselves.
Types of sepals
Can classify the sepals of flowers In several groups according to their characteristics:
Types of sepals according to their morphology
- Dialisépalos: They are those found in the chalice more freely.
- Gamosépalos: They are the sepals that make up the chalice in a united manner and who, in general, are soldiers to each other by the edges.
Types of sepals according to the duration of the flowers
- Ephemeral: Ephemeral sepals are those that detach when the flower opens. In fact, within this group are the so -called deciduous, which are those sepals that detach the flower once fertilized.
- Persistent: The sepals called persistent are those that remain in the chalice even after fertilization.
Other parts of the flowers
In addition to the sepals, there are Other parts of the flowers Well differentiated that you can easily observe if you stop to take a look. It is true that, depending on the species, the Flower structure It can be more or less complex, but you can usually instruct and learn to point out each part with the flowers you have at home or in the gardens or parks near your home.
- Peduncle: It is a kind of small stem, also known as corner, whose function is to hold the flower.
- Floral thalamus or receptacle: Tálamo is called the area where the entire structure of the flower is based.
- Perianto: It is composed, in turn, by the chalice and the corolla. The chalice is a structure, usually green, formed by sepals and the corolla formed by the flower petals. The function of the chalice is to protect the flower, while the corolla is responsible for drawing the attention of pollinators.
- Carpel: Here are the sexual organs of the flower: the stamens and the pistil. The stamens are the male organ and in charge of producing pollen. On the contrary, the pistil is where the female organs of the flower are found; This set is also known as gynece.
In this other ecology article, we show you more about what are the parts of a flower and its functions.
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