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| <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] flower showing the ]-like white '''tepals''']] --> | <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] flower showing the ]-like white '''tepals''']] --> | ||
| A tepal is a floral part of plants in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It corresponds to the sepals and petals in the flowers of other plants, but unlike these, all tepals are of the same form, not being differentiated into the small, protective, not insect-attractive sepals that act as a protection for the developing petals, and the larger, insect-attracting petals. | |||
| In a general sense, a '''tepal''' is an element of the '''perianth''' of a ], such as a ] or ]. The ''perianth'' comprises the outer, sterile whorls of a flower. The term ''tepal'' is usually used when all segments of a perianth are of similar shape and color (that is, undifferentiated). This happens in the family ] and a number of other primitive ]s such as the ]ceae and ]. | |||
| A Tepal in flowering plants (the ]s) is a modified ] or ] that looks the same as a petal or the petals have been modified to look like sepals. Were the ] is not differentiated into two distinctive segments, such as a ] (made up of sepals) and a ] (which is made up or petals). If one looks at a ] flower one sees that it has no calyx or sepals, but they have been modified to look like petals and have fused with the petals to form one large showy structure. In plants like ] the sepals are separated from the petals but look the same, thus all the showy parts are called tepals. | |||
| Simplely, the word tepal is used to describe a flower that is composed of sepals and petals that can not be distinguished from each other - they appear the same. | |||
| === Merosity === | === Merosity === | ||
Revision as of 19:30, 11 December 2006
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A tepal is a floral part of plants in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It corresponds to the sepals and petals in the flowers of other plants, but unlike these, all tepals are of the same form, not being differentiated into the small, protective, not insect-attractive sepals that act as a protection for the developing petals, and the larger, insect-attracting petals.
A Tepal in flowering plants (the angiosperms) is a modified sepal or petal that looks the same as a petal or the petals have been modified to look like sepals. Were the perianth is not differentiated into two distinctive segments, such as a calyx (made up of sepals) and a corolla (which is made up or petals). If one looks at a tulip flower one sees that it has no calyx or sepals, but they have been modified to look like petals and have fused with the petals to form one large showy structure. In plants like lily the sepals are separated from the petals but look the same, thus all the showy parts are called tepals. Simplely, the word tepal is used to describe a flower that is composed of sepals and petals that can not be distinguished from each other - they appear the same.
Merosity
Merosity is a property of whorls of floral perianths that relates how many tepals a whorl of that particular plant has. Types of merosity, according to number of tepals in a perianth whorl, include:
These nouns for the different types of merosity are formed by a prefix derived from Ancient Greek (e.g. tetra- for four tepals) and the suffixed root, -mery, which is derived from Greek meros meaning "part".
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