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| − | [[image:Petal-sepal.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[tepal|Tetrameric]] flower of the Primrose [[Onagraceae|Willowherb]] (''Ludwigia octovalvis'') showing petals and sepals]] | + | [[Image:Upload.png|thumb|[[Special:Upload|Upload image!]]]] |
| − | [[Image:yellow tulip.JPG|thumb|250px|right|This [[tulip]] has dozens of petals.]]
| + | One of the separate leaves of a [[corolla]].{{SCH}} |
| − | A '''petal''' (Greek: ''leaf'', ''tablet''), regarded as a highly modified leaf, is one member or part of the [[corolla]] of a [[flower]]. The corolla is the name for all of the petals of a flower; the inner [[perianth]] [[whorl]], term used when this is not the same in appearance (color, shape) as the outermost whorl (the [[calyx]]) and is used to attract [[pollinator]]s based on its bright color. It is the inner part of the '''perianth''' that comprises the sterile parts of a flower and consists of inner and outer '''[[tepal]]s'''. These tepals are usually differentiated into petals and [[sepal]]s. The term "tepal" is usually applied when the petals and sepals are similar in shape and color. In a "typical" flower the petals are showy and colored and surround the reproductive parts. The number of petals in a flower (see '''[[tepal|merosity]]''') is indicative of the plant's classification: [[eudicots]] (the largest group of [[dicotyledon|dicots]]) having typically four or five petals and [[monocotyledon|monocots]] and [[magnoliid]]s having three, or some multiple of three, petals.<ref>{{cite journal | title=The origin and diversification of angiosperms | author=Pamela S. Soltis and Douglas E. Soltis | journal=American Journal of Botany | year=2004 | volume=91 | pages=1614-1626 | url=http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/91/10/1614 }}</ref>
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| − | There exists considerable variation in form of petals among the [[flowering plant]]s. The petals can be united towards the base, forming a '''floral tube'''. In some flowers, the entire perianth forms a cup (called a '''calyx tube''') surrounding the '''gynoecium''', with the sepals, petals, and stamens attached to the rim of the cup.
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| − | The flowers of some species lack or have very much reduced petals. These are often referred to as '''apetalous'''. Examples of flowers with much reduced perianths are found among the [[Poaceae|grasses]].
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| − | The petals are usually the most conspicuous parts of a flower, and the petal whorl or corolla may be either radially or bilaterally symmetrical. If all of the petals are essentially identical in size and shape, the flower is said to be '''regular''' or '''actinomorphic''' (meaning 'ray-formed'). Many flowers are symmetrical in only one plane (i.e., symmetry is bilateral) and are termed '''irregular''' or '''zygomorphic''' (meaning yoke- or pair-formed). In ''irregular'' flowers, other floral parts may be modified from the ''regular'' form, but the petals show the greatest deviation from radial symmetry. Examples of zygomorphic flowers may be seen in [[orchid]]s and members of the [[Fabaceae|pea family]]. The petal is the colorful, often showy part of a plant.
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| − | == References ==
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| − | <references/>
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| − | [[Category:Plant morphology]]
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| − | [[Category:Reproductive system]]
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