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Floral diagram

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**1. History of Floral Diagrams:**
– Introduced in the 19th century by A. W. Eichler
– Later used by scientists like John Henry Schaffner
– Found in textbooks by Arthur Church, Rolf Sattler, and Simpson
– Ronse De Craene’s 2010 work followed Eichler’s approach

**2. Components and Symbols in Floral Diagrams:**
– Schematic cross-section of a young flower
– Depiction of floral parts, sizes, positions, and fusion
– Symbols representing different organs and additional information
– Variability in symbols used by different authors

**3. Detailed Depictions in Floral Diagrams:**
– Orientation with subtending bract below and axis above
– Depiction of bracts, bracteoles, and axes as arcs
– Representation of perianth parts, androecium, gynoecium, and nectaries
– Use of symbols for fusion, lost organs, monosymmetry, and resupination

**4. Significance and Uses of Floral Diagrams:**
– Essential tool for botanists aiding in plant identification
– Detailed visual representation assisting in understanding floral structure
– Utilized in botanical research for classification, comparison, and evolutionary analysis
– Types of floral diagrams include representational, schematic, descriptive, analytical, and composite

**5. Educational and Research Applications of Floral Diagrams:**
– Integration in botany courses, research projects, and botanical illustrations
– Availability in online resources and herbarium collections
– Facilitates the study of floral symmetry, determination of floral formulas, and comparison of different plant species

Floral diagram (Wikipedia)

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. They were introduced in the late 19th century and are generally attributed to A. W. Eichler.

Anagallis arvensis
floral diagram of Anagallis arvensis
Floral diagram of Anagallis arvensis. The dot represents the main axis, green structure below is the subtending bract. Calyx (green arcs) consists of five free sepals; corolla (red arcs) consists of five fused petals. Antepetalous stamens are joined to petals by hairy filaments. Ovary is superior, placentation is free central and the ovules are atropous.

They are typically used with the floral formula of that flower to study its morphology.

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