FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

FLOWER SPIKES

Flower spikes are a group of stalk-less (sessile) flowers that grow on an upright stem. The spike is categorized as a type of inflorescence, where the individual sessile flowers develop around a central flower stalk called the rachis. Flowers open from the bottom up.

RACEME

A Raceme is a flower spike where the flowers have stalks of equal length. The tip of the stem continues to grow and produce more flowers. Flowers open from the bottom up.

PANNICLE

A pannicle is a loose, irregularly branched, indeterminate flower cluster. This flower cluster opens from the bottom up. A Panicle is a branched raceme, each branch having a smaller raceme of flowers. The stem holding the entire arrangement is known as the Peduncle.

FLOWER HEAD

Is a cluster of flowers densely packed on a capitulum. Some flowers like those of the Asteraceae (sunflower family) have specialized flower heads. Ray & disc flowers make up the flower head. Individual flowers open from the outside in.

UMBEL

A flower umbel is a cluster of flowers with stalks of nearly equal length which spring from about the same point, like the ribs of an umbrella. Umbels can be compound. Flowers open from the outside in.

CORYMB

A Corymb is a flower cluster where all the flowers are at the same level, with flower stalks of different lengths, forming a flat-topped flower cluster. Superficially looks similar to an Umbel.

CYME

A Cyme is a group of flowers in which the end of each growing point produces a flower. The new growth comes from side shoots & the oldest flowers are at the top. Flowers bloom from the top down.

CATKIN

A catkin is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, often lacking petals. They are usually wind pollinated but sometimes insects do the work. They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along a central stem which is often drooping. Flowers open from the bottom up.

VERTICILLASTER

A Verticillaster is a whorled inflorescence, where the flowers are born in rings at intervals up the stem. The tip continues to grow, producing more whorls. Flowers bloom from the inside out. This type of inflorescence is common in members of the Mint Family (Lamiaceae).

SINGLE FLOWERS

Sometimes, there is only one flower on each stem, or the flowers are borne so far apart that they cannot be described as being part of the same flowering cluster. They are often large flowers, so do not need the support of other flowers to attract pollinators.

FLOWERING PLANTS

These plants have flowers which house all reproductive organs. The male parts of a flower are the pollen, anther, & filament. The female part of the flower is made up of the seed, ovary, sigma, & style. Flowers are often designed to attract a pollinator. Plants co-evolved with the first land animals to become essential third parties in plant sex. Flowers are reproductive structures whose function is to produce fertilized seeds. Pollinators play an important part in flower evolution as the relationship between the flower & pollinator is extremely close & one cannot live without the other.

COMPLETE FLOWERS

A complete flower has both male & female reproductive organs, petals, sepals, & all other flower structures present in one flower. All complete flowers are also perfect flowers. These flowers are bisexual with all flower parts present.

PERFECT FLOWERS

Many plants have bisexual flowers where there are both stamens & the pistil. To avoid self pollination many flowers only are receptive to pollen at a certain time. A perfect flower is not always a complete flower, as anything missing will disqualify it. These flowers have both male & female sex organs.

INCOMEPLETE FLOWERS

A flower having sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils is known as complete. A flower lacking one or more of such structures is considered incomplete. These flowers are either male or female.

PLANT SEXUALITY

Dioeceus plants have separate sexes on separate plants, Dioeceus means “Two Households”. Female plants only bear female flowers while male plants produce only male flowers. The flowers of these plants are always incomplete. Dioeceus plants are not as common as Monoecious plants.

MONOECIOUS PLANTS

These plants have both male & female reproductive systems on the same plant. Monoecious means “One Household”. Monoecious plants may have flowers that are perfect (both male & female parts in the same flower), or they may have separate male & female flowers that appear on the same plant.

The Redwoods

There are only three types true Redwoods Sequoioidae. The Giant Sequoias (Seqouiadendron) are native to the High Sierra Mountains in CA. these are the largest living single organisms. Coast Redwoods (Sequoia) are form Northern California's coast & Dawn Redwoods (Metasequoia) are from China. These trees used to cover much of the Earth now they are native to small isolated areas. All three of these trees grow into large specimens. These plants have similar but different growing conditions & climate preferences.

Cedars

Cedrus species are in plants (mostly trees) that are in the Cedrus family. They are native to a wide variety of places throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The fragrant insect repellent wood makes some of these trees important for timber. Cedars have needle like foliage & dry unarmed cones. Most Cedars will grow in high desert regions. They are tolerant of drought, heat, cold, & poor soil. Cedar trees are picturesque, most are slow growing.