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Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirally arranged.
Symmetry in biology refers to the symmetry observed in organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. External symmetry can be easily seen by just looking at an organism. For example, the face of a human being has a plane of symmetry down its centre, or a pine cone displays a clear symmetrical spiral pattern.
The earliest flowers were principally actinomorphic or having radial symmetry with multiple axes of symmetry. These evolved flowers have bilateral symmetry or zygomorphy. It is thought that the attraction of insect pollinators led by visual cues had an influence in the evolution of zygomorphy.
Animals mainly have bilateral or mirror symmetry, as do the leaves of plants and some flowers such as orchids. [30] Plants often have radial or rotational symmetry, as do many flowers and some groups of animals such as sea anemones. Fivefold symmetry is found in the echinoderms, the group that includes starfish, sea urchins, and sea lilies. [31]
A floral diagram is a graphic representation of the structure of a flower. It shows the number of floral organs, their arrangement and fusion. Different parts of the flower are represented by their respective symbols. Floral diagrams are useful for flower identification or can help in understanding angiosperm evolution.
Symmetry or arrangement may be described for the whole flower; in such case the corresponding symbol is usually placed at the beginning of the formula. It may be also outlined separately for different organs, placing it after their labels or numbers, or it may not be included in the formula at all.
The flowers called actinomorphics, radiate or polysymmetric have radial symmetry, as is the case of Tulipa gesneriana or Linum usitatissimum . In contrast, monosymmetrica l, dorsiventral or zygomorphic flowers have bilateral symmetry and the evolution of their shape is related to the need to attract and guide pollinators to them, as for example ...
Actinomorphic – having a radial symmetry, as in regular flowers. Actinomorphy – when the flower parts are arranged with radial symmetry. Radial – symmetric when bisected through any angle (circular) Unisexual – Zygomorphic – one axis of symmetry running down the middle of the flower so the right and left halves reflect each other.