What is the inflorescence and what is its biological significance?

Beautiful gardens with the splendor of fragrant delicate flowers were an indispensable ornament of noble houses at all times and centuries. The royal gardens, the boyars' yards, the manors were necessarily fenced with remarkable plantations, which in their appearance lifted the mood and made them feel thinner, sharper, becoming more romantic.

Today, flowers are also the main decorations of a woman's life, and indeed of people in general. Their huge variety of species is amazing: the field, lovely and simple, specially grown garden, large and fragrant, homemade pottery, able to decorate any room.

However, few people thought about what inflorescence is from a scientific point of view.

The concept of

In fact, the answer is quite simple. What is inflorescence in biology? This is a group of flowers of one plant, located in a special way on one axis. Moreover, in different specimens, respectively, the types of these structures are not the same.

In order to obtain flowers for sale, representatives of flora without inflorescences are grown. These are large, brightly colored single flowers of unusual shape, appearance, color or aroma. Of these, make chic bouquets, baskets, make up ikebans. However, natural plants, living in natural conditions, often have small numerous flowers, collected in a certain way. What is the inflorescence of plants? Let's consider more in detail

Features of the structure

From the biological point of view, two main types of inflorescence are distinguished:

1. Botric or bokrotsvetnoe. These are plants in which a lot of flowers are collected on the same axis in different order, but flowering starts only from the lower ones. The topmost flower starts to bloom last. This includes simple inflorescences: brush, ear, umbrella, scute and others.
2. Cymnous. What does the inflorescence represent? It differs from the previous group in that the apical flower is revealed first, and then the rest, located below, fan out. This group includes slightly more complicated inflorescences: monochasias, dichases and pleioscopes.

Each flower has all the structural parts necessary for the performance of the reproductive function: the peduncle, the pedicel, the stipules, the pistil and the stamens. Their dimensions may vary depending on the plant species, as well as the amount. For example, in some palms and agaves there are several tens of thousands of flowers in one inflorescence, and the sizes reach 14 m in height and 12 m in width.

Kinds

Answering the question about what an inflorescence is in plants, a small simplified classification of all of them should be cited:

• Botryric simple;
• Complex;
• Cymose;
• Single flowers.

Each species includes several varieties, which should be considered in more detail.

Simple inflorescences

Representatives of this category have a simple structure. Inflorescences of the following types are represented in this species:

• Brush - on the main axis there are many small flowers, each of which must have a pedicel. Examples of plants: bird cherry, sweet pea, white acacia, linseed, lily of the valley, bell, cabbage and others.
• Kolos - on the main stem (often elongated) there are many flowers, but without pedicels, that is, sedentary. Examples: verbena, orchid, plantain, sedge, orchis, corn (female structures) and others.
• Cob - the main axis is very thick, massive and fleshy. On it are sedentary small flowers of different numbers. Examples: callas, aronik, ayr. Many plants in the base form a covering sheet of bright color.
• Simple shield - it is interesting that such an inflorescence resembles a brush, but it has one peculiarity. The pedicels of the underlying flowers are longer, which makes them equal in height with all the rest. As a result, the general view is obtained in the form of a solid shield. Examples: apple, hawthorn, pear, spiraea, plum.
• A simple umbrella is a plant with a shortened main axis. Often it is so short that all flowers of the same length of pedicels seem to come out of the tip of this axis. Examples: primrose, primrose, angelica, dill, carrots, onions, cherries, garlic and so on.
• The head - it is very remarkable that such an inflorescence is often called complex, since it is externally uneasy. The main axis is so shortened that it is almost invisible, and numerous small flowers are collected by a dense cap on the top. At the same time, they either completely or almost do not have pedicels, are sedentary. This further complicates the overall design. Examples of plants: clover, alfalfa, adox, vortex and others.
• The basket is very similar to the head, only the main axis has a saucer-shaped thickening at the top. Thus it turns out that all the flowers seem to sit on one common ground. Especially common is the inflorescence of members of the family Difficult. Examples: dandelion, sunflower, chamomile, cornflower, chicory, aster, buckwheat, Jerusalem artichoke, kosmeja and others. In one basket there can be different types of flowers: reed, funnel-shaped or false-tongued. It depends on the type of plant. In addition, the leaves on the stem are very densely arranged, they have a sedentary plate that surrounds the base.

Complex inflorescences

This group includes those that are collected from several simple ones and are on the same plant. Moreover, these types of inflorescences have one feature: the constituent elements can be either single-type or completely different. Sometimes it is very difficult to determine the type due to a strong congestion and a combination of different characteristics. In total, complex inflorescences include five types.

Ear and umbrella

We have already explained that such a complex inflorescence. Now let's talk about specific varieties.

• The ear is a few simple spikelets collected on the main axis of one common structure. It turns out a lot of similar components within a single plant. Most often this type can be observed in cereals: rye, wheat, barley, oats, feather grass and others.
• A complex umbrella is built on the same principle, only from simple small umbrellas. Characteristic of such inflorescences for representatives of the same family: snyt, angelica, celery, cumin, hemlock, parsley, fennel and others.

Whisk and shield

A panicle is a complex inflorescence, consisting of lateral branches of the main axis, on which brushes from flowers are located at different heights. Outwardly, such representatives are very similar to pleiothecies (chymoid inflorescences). Examples of plants: lilac, fire, wormwood, corn (male flower) and others.

The shield consists of a whole collection of simple flowers of the same name. It has the appearance of high-branching, on one axis, pedicels with flowers on the top. Examples of plants: viburnum, elderberry and others.

Ear ring

This complex inflorescence, which is a hanging structure, completely dies after fruiting or blossoming of the plant. On the main shaft are collected brushes or spikelets of small nondescript flowers, most often white or pale color. Examples of plants: birch, alder, hazel, hazel, poplar and others.

Cyme inflorescence

This is a group that is characterized by a fan-like opening of buds. This process begins with the topmost flower that crowns the main axis. Then all the underlying structures are connected. In total, there are three types of inflorescence to this group of inflorescences:

1. Monohaziy. The second name is a single-rayed topocut. The structure of such inflorescences is built on the principle of a spiral. The main axis ends with a single flower on top, which dissolves first when the time comes. Following it, a second bud, also single, is located on the lateral axis below the previous one. Then the third, also on a separate stem of lateral branching. And so on the spiral almost to the very bottom of the sprouts from the main stem, crowned with single flowers, usually of medium or large size.
2. Diascial inflorescences. The second name is a two-beam topocut. Structures that are quite complex in structure. The main stem ends with a single flower that dissolves first. Then later along the axis opposite to each other lateral trunks leave, which outgrow the main one and also end in single flowers. Below - the axes of the third order in the same style and so on. In general, it turns out a fairly complex composition building, a bit like a simple umbrella.
3. Pleyohaziy. The structure is similar to the complex umbrella inflorescences. In a different way, it is called a multi-beam topothet. What is it? The main axis is quite long, ending with the apical flower, which blossoms first. Then the lateral branch leaves from the main axis, from it - a few more side ones, from them - the following. Each small twig carries a single flower on top. In general, one plant with full blooming resembles a good three-dimensional bouquet of flowers.

Glomerulus - cymose inflorescence

Special in the structure, it is not often. Looks like a densely flower-filled head. A lot of small flowers, devoid of pedicels, are twisted together into one common structure, called the glomerulus.

A typical example is the inflorescence of plants such as quinoa, beetroot, wild spinach, goat, potash, mar, hodgepodge and others.

Role and meaning

Now it remains only to find out what is the significance of the inflorescences. Why do they form in plants? Of course, for a person this is of great aesthetic significance. In addition, it is often the flowers become objects of medicinal use for making infusions, broths.

But for the plants themselves the biological significance of the inflorescences lies in the following positions:

• The more small or medium flowers will be gathered together, the more noticeable will be the representative of the flora for insect pollinators. Moreover, if it is supported by a bright coloring of the coronets.
• The formation of inflorescences allows plants to shed more pollen in wind gusts and further scatter it.
• In forest thickets a more advantageous position is enjoyed by the flowers gathered in the inflorescence, since in this form it is difficult to cover them even with the leaves of trees, which means they are noticeable to the pollinators.
• From the inflorescences, pollen dispersion is more easily carried out during cross pollination.

That is, the main role is to raise the level of reproductive efficiency, occupy a large territory for resettlement, provide life to future offspring.