"Nature Merit Badge by the Boy Scouts of America. Although the text is primarily oriented towards North American plants, ""Botany in a Day"" has been used to identify plants in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. As of 2010, there were more than 45,000 copies in print. Botany in a Day Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification is a book by Thomas J. Elpel published by HOPS Press, LLC. The book emphasizes family characteristics for plant identification. Related plants typically have similar floral features and often similar uses. For example, plants of the mustard family"
"the Greek κάλυξ (""kalyx""), a bud, a calyx, a husk or wrapping, (cf Sanskrit ""kalika"", a bud) while ""calix"" derived from the Greek κυλιξ (""kylix""), a cup or goblet, and the words have been used interchangeably in botanical Latin. After flowering, most plants have no more use for the calyx which withers or becomes vestigial. Some plants retain a thorny calyx, either dried or live, as protection for the fruit or seeds. Examples include species of ""Acaena"", some of the Solanaceae (for example the Tomatillo, ""Physalis philadelphica""), and the water caltrop, ""Trapa natans"". In some species the calyx not only"
"Some are herbaceous plants; others have woody rootstocks. The leaves of most species are somewhat hairy and partly divided into lobes, but a few are smooth and some species have simple leaves. The flowers are borne on inflorescences in the form of heads; each head contains many small florets, each floret cupped in a membranous, saucer-shaped bract. The calyx has five sepals in the form of awns almost as long as the petals. After the flowers have dropped, the calyces together with the bracts form a spiky ball that may be the reason for the ""pincushion"" common name. The calyx"
"is mildly indented at the nodes. The leaves are membranaceous and have connate bases and have a mildly pubescent underside. The calyx of the flowers is about 3 mm long, five-lobed, and tubular. Nerves in the calyx extend beyond the lobes to form teeth. The posterior nerve is always shortest. The corolla is formed of fused petals that spread open at the end, and is just a little longer than the calyx. The flower possesses reproductive organs of both sexes. The ovary is superior and bicarpellary. The fruit is a schizocarp, a type of dry fruit that splits when mature."
"Sepal A sepal ( or ) is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term ""sepalum"" was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from the Greek σκεπη (""skepi""), a covering. Collectively the sepals are called the calyx (plural calyces), the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. The word ""calyx"" was adopted from the Latin ""calyx"", not to be confused with ""calix"", a cup or goblet. ""Calyx"" derived from"
"and usually face upward. They are large compared to the rest of the plant, 2 to 3mm in diameter with male and female parts both present and functional. The calyx consists of five broad, often unequal sepals that are joined in the lower part to form a floral cup that encloses the lower half of the ovary and is thickened along its fissures to form five ribs. The sepals persist beyond the maturity of the fruit. The petals are scale-like, white and barely visible, on the rim of the floral cup between the sepals, or sometimes absent. They die but"
"flowers (e.g., Rosaceae, Myrtaceae) a hypanthium includes the bases of sepals, petals, and the attachment points of the stamens. Sepal A sepal ( or ) is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term ""sepalum"" was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from the Greek σκεπη (""skepi""), a covering. Collectively the sepals are called the calyx (plural calyces), the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. The word ""calyx"""
"calyx. The calyx is around long and 5-parted with the outer three sepals longer than the inner sepals. The seeds are produced in fruits called achenes, which are egg-shaped, dark brown and around long. The achenes also have a smooth shiny surface. The late season achenes are larger, from 4 to 15 mm long. There are a number of forms and two subspecies, that vary in flower and foliage coloration. ""Polygonum ramosissimum"" has great morphological variability, which is notable on the same plant, between flowers and fruits produced early in the blooming season verses those produced late in the season,"
"branch or stem or at an angle from where the leaf joins the stem and have bracts. Often with this family, bisexual and male flowers occur on some plants, and bisexual and female flowers are on others, or flowers have both stamens and pistils (perfect). A calyx with three to seven cleft sepals and the same number of petals, occasionally no petals, overlap each other in the bud. Stamens are twice as many or equal to the number of petals, inserted at the base of the fleshy ring or cup-shaped disk, and inserted below the pistil(s). Stamen stalks are separate,"
"notably in the genera ""Carpinus"" and ""Corylus"", the involucre is a leafy structure that protects the developing nuts. Beggar-tick (""Bidens comosa"") has narrow involucral bracts surrounding each inflorescence, each of which also has a single bract below it. There is then a pair of leafy bracts on the main stem and below those a pair of leaves. An epicalyx, which forms an additional whorl around the calyx of a single flower, is a modification of bracteoles In other words, the epicalyx is a ""group of bracts resembling a calyx"" or ""bracteoles forming a whorl outer to the calyx"". It is"
"The inflorescence appears in July in the native habitat of the species and takes the form of a dense spike about long. Each flower has a complex structure. A red bract surrounds the sepals, which are largely fused, forming a tubular calyx, split along one side. The calyx is shorter than the bract, being long. Inside the calyx, the three petals are fused at the base to form a tube about the same length as the calyx. At the end of the tube the petals form three lobes, long. Inside the petals are three petal-like structures (staminodes). The two side"
"a tubular calyx with five pointed lobes. The pollen is white. The stigma extends beyond the anthers, making self-pollination difficult, so insects must cross-pollinate for the plants to produce seed. Pollinated flowers develop into an oval pod with three chambers, 6 mm ( in) long, which is enclosed by the green calyx. The plant spreads by reseeding itself. The flowers produce both pollen and nectar. Long- and short-tongued bees visit the plants for both nectar and pollen, syrphid flies and fire beetles (""Pedilus lugubris"") feed on pollen, and butterflies and moths drink nectar. Out of these insects, large bees are"
"four kinds of structures attached to the tip of a short stalk. Each of these kinds of parts is arranged in a whorl on the receptacle. The four main whorls (starting from the base of the flower or lowest node and working upwards) are as follows: Collectively the calyx and corolla form the perianth (see diagram). Although the arrangement described above is considered ""typical"", plant species show a wide variation in floral structure. These modifications have significance in the evolution of flowering plants and are used extensively by botanists to establish relationships among plant species. The four main parts of"
"and sticky, with divided, irregularly parted leaves of 4 to 8 cm in length, the superior leaves are smaller and often whole. The flowers are divided into a number of segments, they are very colourful, shades of violet with yellow patches and a dark line at the divisions between the upper labia. The flowers are comprised on a short, compact, terminal inflorescence. The fruit is a boll that is shorter than the calyx. This and other species of the genus are cultivated in the United States and in Europe. It originates in Chile where is grows in the littoral zone"
"Cortex (botany) A cortex is the outermost layer of a stem or root in a plant. In botany, the cortex is the outermost layer of the stem or root of a plant, bounded on the outside by the epidermis and on the inside by the endodermis. In plants, it is composed mostly of differentiated cells, usually large thin-walled parenchyma cells of the ground tissue system. The outer cortical cells often acquire irregularly thickened cell walls, and are called collenchyma cells. Some of the outer cortical cells may contain chloroplasts. It is responsible for the transportation of materials into the central"
"a yellow region surrounded by a band of white; the yellow beard guides pollinators towards the flower. The upper lip consists of a pair of lobes that fold backwards to the side and the lower lip has three rounded lobes that spread outward and serve as a welcoming platform for pollinating insects. Unlike the stems and leaves, the flowers are not glabrous as they have fine white hairs on the surface of the corolla. The 1.7 cm long, tubular five-parted calyx has five teeth alongside its outer rim. When the corolla falls off, the calyx surrounds a 1 cm capsule"
"The calyx consists of five sepals which are yellowish, apricot or blue-grey and sometimes tinged with purple, with triangular equal size lobes (8–13×4–8 mm), with a slender spur of 12–20 mm long, with a narrow base. The petals are a compromised yellow, pinkish yellow, orange-yellow or dark yellow with purple veins and have a more or less red-purplish staining on back of lobes. The petals consist of a claw and plate (or lamina) and the upper two have an almost elliptical lamina, with a blunt tip and wavy margins, each about 12–17×5–12 mm, while the lower three have longer claws,"
"cylinder of the root through diffusion and may also be used for food storage in the form of starch. Cortex (botany) A cortex is the outermost layer of a stem or root in a plant. In botany, the cortex is the outermost layer of the stem or root of a plant, bounded on the outside by the epidermis and on the inside by the endodermis. In plants, it is composed mostly of differentiated cells, usually large thin-walled parenchyma cells of the ground tissue system. The outer cortical cells often acquire irregularly thickened cell walls, and are called collenchyma cells. Some"
"prophyllum), often on the side of the pedicel, and generally paired. A series of bracts subtending the calyx (see below) is an epicalyx. Angiosperms are dealt with in more detail here; these structures are very different in gymnosperms. In angiosperms, the specialised leaves that play a part in reproduction are arranged around the stem in an ordered fashion, from the base to the apex of the flower. The floral parts are arranged at the end of a stem without any internodes. The receptacle (also called the floral axis, or thalamus) is generally very small. Some flower parts are solitary, while"
"with distinct calyx and white corolla. However, the calyx is often reduced with obsolete calyx teeth. The flowers have five petals, sepals, and stamens. The white petals are often obovate to oblong. The inflorescences contain fifteen to forty-five pubescent rays, 1–10 cm in length, which surround about thirty small disk flowers. The peduncles which hold the entire inflorescence are glabrous or pubescent and 5–20 cm long. While the stalks of each single flower in the flower clusters called pedicels, are thin and often sessile. The whorl of bracts beneath the inflorescences is called involucre. It consists of phyllaries, modified bracts,"
"apex. The leaves are opposite, sessile and rather crowded. They are fairly thick, slightly leathery and bluntly linear to narrowly cuneate Some of the flowers may be solitary, while some are borne in inflorescences in the form of lax cymes, borne ly or in the axils of upper leaves. The calyx has five lobes fitting loosely round the base of the corolla. The tube is short and campanulate, with an annular, crenulate disk inside at the base. The calyx lobes oblong and mucronate, without a dorsal keel. The corolla is a vibrant candy pink, or rarely white, setting off the"
"and are found at the bottom of the leaves. The flowers come in many, are short stalked, small in size, have a brown-yellow color, five parted, 1 cm in length and have a small fragrance to them. The calyx contains are lobed (2-3), have hairs that are brown or light grey in color, as well as greenish. They have 5 petals with a yellow-like stamen, 15anthers per pistil, 5 stigmas (combined), ovary lighter green in color with hairs, and also contains a style. The fruit which have capsules that are round to elliptical in shape are 15-25mm in length. They"
"a blade. At the junction of the sheath and blade, there is a stalk (petiole), which may be very short or absent. The plants die back in the winter with shoots appearing again in spring. The yellow or orange flowers appear in the summer and are grouped into a spike (inflorescence). Each flower is surrounded by a persistent coloured bract. The sepals are joined to form a tubular calyx, divided on one side. The bases of the petals are fused to form a tube as long as or longer than the calyx. At the end of this tube the three"
"calyx split and bloom. Once conidia are successfully landed on susceptible hosts, they form germ tubes which will become spore-bearing conidiophores. This step requires three sequential stages: sporophore production, spore production, and spore maturation. Infection is most severe during spring and winter because further spread of fungi is favored by wet and warm environment. The fungus overwinters as mycelium and chlamydospores in twig or leaf lesions and continues to produce asexual structures. The fungus primarily infect young plants, therefore inoculum availability declines as fruits mature and the significance of infection during the maturation period is unknown. It takes an incubation"
"usually tall, occasionally shorter or up to . The first one or two leaves consist only of sheaths; the remaining 5–8(–11) leaves have curved (falcate) blades mainly long by wide (although lengths and widths outside this range are also found). The sheaths sometimes have small 'ears' (auriculate) at the junction of the blade and sheath, where there is also a small ligule, extending to about . The stem (peduncle) of the flower spike (inflorescence) is held within the leaves. The bracts which subtend the flowers are more or less the same length as the calyx. Each flower has the typical"
"calyx teeth are long and very narrow. The flowers are up to 1.5 cm long, blue-purple. They have 2 narrow lobes on upper lip, and 3 narrow teeth on the lower. The stalks are less than 1 cm, and corrola lobes are less than 2mm wide. It flowers from August until September. The flowers are hermaphrodite and zygomorphic. The plant requires bare ground patches in which the seeds can germinate. Germination is improved in soil with a high moisture content. Seeds are produced throughout the year, peaking in production during July and August. Only those that are produced March to"
"the stem up to long, decreasing in size higher up the stem. The flower stalks are typically branched, with four to six flowers in each verticil forming a lax spike. The flowers open from the base of the inflorescence, which grows up to long. The small calyx is dark brown. The corolla is irregular, long, fused with two lips and long-tubed. The upper lip arches in a crescent shape and the lower lip is three-lobed with the central lobe larger than the lateral lobes. In the wild the corolla is usually bluish-violet. In cultivation, the flowers have a wide variety"
"it develops into a diffusely branched shrub reaching in height, with spreading branches and velvety, heart-shaped leaves. The hermaphrodite flowers are bell-shaped and drooping, across, yellow with purple-brown spots internally. After the flower falls, the calyx expands, ultimately forming a beige husk fully enclosing the fruit. The fruit is a round, smooth berry, resembling a miniature yellow tomato wide. Removed from its calyx, it is bright yellow to orange in color, and sweet when ripe, with a characteristic, mildly tart tomato flavor. A prominent feature is the inflated, papery calyx enclosing each berry. The calyx is accrescent until the fruit"
"between the leaves, all along the stems. Each cluster has 1 to 5 flowers and is accompanied by a leaflike bract. The calyx is a cone of fleshy, rounded sepals, and there are no petals. The fruit is an utricle that grows within the calyx. This rare plant, ""Suaeda californica"", grows in a restricted area within the intertidal zone of salt marshes. It is threatened by anything that alters the hydrology of the area, such as changes in sedimentation, including dredging, erosion, and recreation. It requires a porous substrate high in nitrogen, which may come from decaying plant matter and"
"protruding white hair and short black flattened hair. Calyx teeth are narrowly triangular, long around 3 mm, and 3,5-4 times shorter than tube. Naked crown is purple-blue. Bracts are elongated lanceolate, about the same length we say and a calyx, and unjustly; it has black and white attached hairs. Fruita are elongated ovoid and very swollen light pods, about 14–18 mm long that suddenly narrows in long, outwardly curved, beak. It is densely covered with long flattened white and black hairs. It opens along the belly seam, in the upper third of the legume. The seeds are kidney. The plant"
"borne at the tips of stout, rather long peduncles, mainly in short cymes. Calyx 5-partite, corolla 5-lobed. Petals united in a tube or urn that generally is longer than broad, their triangular tips more or less pointed and recurved, 10 stamens arising from corolla near base and projecting or nearly projecting from the corolla. Gynoecium comprises 5 carpels, nearly or quite free, each carpel tapering into a slender style with an obliquely capitate stigma. Each carpel contains many small (typically less than 1 milligramme when ripe) globular, brown seeds. Until the 1960s there were about 150 species described as being"
"covered with long, soft and weak hairs that are somewhat dense. In addition to the sepals of the calyx, ""L. substrigosa"" also has bracts that are broadly ovate to kidney-shaped. At their apex, the bracts are either rounded or acute and taper to a sharp firm point. The lower bracts can sometimes grow to become long. Bracts may have long, erect and rigid hairs or short, soft and erect hairs that are confined to glands. Flowers of ""L. substrigosa"" have stamens that are didynamous, meaning they come in two pairs of unequal length. These four stamens only protrude slightly from"
"short fleshy corolla parts. Cymes are bracteate, usually thyrsoid to umbel shaped, often condensed to sessile fascicles of flowers or a few-flowered heads at tips of peduncles. The florets are white or violet, the stamens blue or violet, usually obvious in aggregates, from axillary clusters. Flowers are bisexual, have inferior ovaries, but the parts are otherwise free. The calyx is valvate and there are twice as many stamens as petals. The fruit is from an inferior ovary, typically axillary. The calyx remnants are persistent, and are sometimes blue-black. Fruits are globose or occasionally ellipsoid, pulpy or juicy with one large"