Flower Shapes
Complete versus incomplete flower
Complete flowers have all typical
parts (sepals, petals, stamens,
and pistil.
Powder puff tree (Callilandra)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
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Incomplete flowers are missing
a typical part – like the petals.
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Perfect versus imperfect flowers
Perfect flowers are bisexual
with functioning male and female
parts in the same flower.
Hazelnut (Corylus) female flower
Ardisia (Ardisia)
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Imperfect flowers are unisexual
with only male or female parts in
a single flower.
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Dioecious versus monecious plants
Dioecious plants have imperfect
flowers and male and female flowers
reside on separate plants.
female flower
Holly (Ilex)
female flower
Monecious plants contain imperfect
flowers and the male and female
flowers are on the same plant but in
different locations.
male flowers
male flower
Chestnut (Castanea)
There are examples where monecious and dioecious plants can produce some perfect
flowers. When they appear on the same plant it is called polygamo-monecious. When it
occurs on plants with unisexual flowers on different plants it is polygamo-dioecious.
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Monecious plants
Begonia produces male and female flowers in different flowers in the cyme
and they open at different times to reduce self pollination.
male flowers
female flower
male flower
female flowers
Begonia (Begonia)
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Monecious plants
Pecan is a good example of a wind pollinated tree that produces male and
female flowers on different flowers on the same tree.
Female flower
female flower
male flower
Male flower
Pecan (Carya)
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Flowers without petals (apetalous)
It is generally accepted that showy or fragrant petals function to
interact with insect or mammal pollinators. Their job is to signal the
pollinator of a potential flower find and in the process facilitate pollen
transfer within or between flowers.
Flowers that are wind pollinated tend to have reduced or no petals and
therefore no obstructions between flying pollen and the stigma.
Date palm (Phoenix)
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Barley (Hordeum)
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Maple (Acer)
Oak (Quercus)
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Actinimorphic versus Zyomorphic flowers
Actinimorphic flowers have a radial
symmetry where the flower can be
divided equally on two or more planes.
Primrose (Primula)
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Zygomorphic flowers have bilateral
symmetry where the flower can be
divided equally on only one plane.
Pansy (Viola)
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Some characteristic flower shapes
Bell-
Campanulate shaped
Coroniform
Crownshaped
Cruciform
Crossshaped
Cucullate
Hooded
Cupuliform
Cupshaped
Double
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Funnelshaped
Inflated
bladdershaped
Salverform
Labiate
Lip-like
petals
Spurred
With a
spur
Stellate
Starshaped
Papillionoid
Butterflyshaped
Tubular
Tubeshaped
Reflexed
Petals bent
back
Urceolate
Urnshaped
Ligulate
With extra
petals
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Slipper
orchids
Funnelform
Strap-like
Saccate
Click on a term for information
Tube with
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Campanulate
Bell-shaped flowers formed by fused petals.
Asia bell (Condonopsis)
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Bell flower (Campanula)
Redveined enkianthus
(Enkianthus)
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Coroniform
Flowers with a corona (crown). A corona is a group of petal-like organs between
the petals and stamens.
Passion flower
(Passiflora)
Daffodil (Narcissus)
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Cruciform
Flowers are cross-shaped with four petals.
Mustard
(Brassica nigra)
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Wallflower
(Erysimum)
Phlox
(Phlox)
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Bluets
(Hedyotis)
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Culcullate
Flowers that are hooded by modified fused petals.
Monk’s hood (Aconitum)
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Cupuliform
A cylindrical tube-like flower that does not have spreading petal tips.
Tulip (Tulipa)
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Cup vine (Solandra)
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Double
Double flowers have additional floral organs compared to the usual sets of four,
five or six found in most plants. The extra organs are usually petals that have
replaced stamens. A semi-double flower has additional petals but stamens still
remain. A fully double flower has lost most or all stamens to petals.
A semi-double rose (Rosa).
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A fully double amaryllis (Hippeastrum).
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Funnelform
A funnel shaped flower that widens from the base to the top.
Wild petunia (Ruellia)
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Gentian (Gentiana)
Virginia blue bells
(Mertensia)
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Inflated
Floral parts are swollen to form a bladder-like flower.
Soapwort (Sapanaria)
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Bladdernut (Staphylea)
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Labiate
Flowers with lip-like petals. Those with distinctly two lips are called bilabiate.
Those like turtlehead are also galeate meaning helmet shaped. Those like blue
sage are ringent meaning gaping because of the distance between the two lips.
Blue sage (Salvia)
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Bugleflower (Ajuga)
Turtlehead (Chelone)
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Ligulate
Flowers with a strap-like petiole especially those in composite flowers.
Zinnia (Zinnia)
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Papillionoid
Butterfly shaped flowers typical of some legumes. Flowers have petals modified
into a large upper banner, two side wings, and two fused petals that form the lower
keel that encloses the stamens.
Yellowwood (Cladrastis)
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False indigo (Baptisia)
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Lupine (Lupinus)
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Reflexed
Some flowers have petals that bend backwards. Petals that are fully bent are
called reflexed, while those partially bent are called recurved.
Shooting star (Dodecatheron)
petals are reflexed.
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Lily (Lillium) petals are
recurved.
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Saccate
A flower with petals shaped like a sac as occurs in slipper orchids.
South American slipper orchid
(Phragmipedium)
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Slipper orchid
(Paphiopedilum)
Kentucky lady slipper
(Cypripedium kentuckiense)
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Salverform
Tubular flowers that become spreading at the top.
Primrose (Primula)
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Rhododendron (Rhododendron)
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Spurred
Spurred flowers have a petal(s) modified into a spur. The spur is usually nectar
containing to attract pollinators.
Delphinium (Delphinium)
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Spurred
Spurred flowers have a petal(s) modified into a spur. The spur is usually nectar
containing to attract pollinators.
Columbine (Aquilegia)
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Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
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Jewelweed (Impatiens)
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Stellate
Stellate flowers are star-shaped often with five petals.
Jasmine (Jasminum)
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Fire pink (Silene)
Pink (Dianthus)
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Tubular
A cylindrical tube-like flower that does not have spreading petal tips.
Fuschia (Fuschia)
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Iochroma (Iochroma)
Pinkroot (Spigelia)
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Urceolate
These flowers are urn or pitcher-like in shape.
Grape hyacinth
(Muscari)
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Andromeda
(Pieris)
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