Aestivation (botany)
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about".
Aestivation or estivation is the positional arrangement of the parts of a flower within a flower bud before it has opened. Aestivation is also sometimes referred to as praefoliation or prefoliation, but these terms may also mean vernation: the arrangement of leaves within a vegetative bud.
Aestivation can be an important taxonomic diagnostic; for example Malvaceae flower buds have valvate sepals, with the exception of the genera Fremontodendron and Chiranthodendron, which have sometimes been misplaced as a result.
Terminology
The terms used to describe aestivation are the same as those used to describe leaf vernation.[1]
Classes of aestivation include:
- crumpled
- decussate
- imbricate – overlapping
- contorted or twisted – every petal or sepal is outside its neighbour on one margin, and inside its neighbour on the other margin.
- cochleate – spirally twisted.
- contortiplicate – contorted and also plicate.
- quincuncial – with five parts, where two petals or sepals are outside all others, two are inside all others, and the fifth is outside on one margin and inside on the other.
- contorted or twisted – every petal or sepal is outside its neighbour on one margin, and inside its neighbour on the other margin.
- induplicate – folded inwards.
- open – petals or sepals do not overlap or even touch each other .
- reduplicate – folded outwards.
- valvate – margins of adjacent petals or sepals touch each other without overlapping.
- vexillary – a special type of aestivation occurring in plants like pea; in this type of aestivation a large petal called standard encloses two smaller petals.
Script error: No such module "Gallery".
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Script error: No such module "navbox".