Corolla

Jai Ganesh · Yesterday 22:00:32

Corolla

Gist

A corolla is the collection of a flower's petals, often brightly colored to attract pollinators, forming the second whorl inside the sepals and surrounding the reproductive organs (stamens and pistils) to help with pollination and protect them. It comes from the Latin word for "wreath" or "crown" and can vary greatly in shape (bell, funnel, tubular) and fusion (fused or free) across different plants.

The corolla is the name given to the collective rings of petals around a flower and its reproductive organs. The corolla functions in aiding the reproduction process known as pollination. Pollination is when pollen is transferred between flowers resulting in fertilization.

Summary

Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the corolla. Petals are usually surrounded by an outer whorl of modified leaves called sepals, that collectively form the calyx and lie just beneath the corolla. The calyx and the corolla together make up the perianth, the non-reproductive portion of a flower. When the petals and sepals of a flower are difficult to distinguish, they are collectively called tepals. Examples of plants in which the term tepal is appropriate include genera such as Aloe and Tulipa. Conversely, genera such as Rosa and Phaseolus have well-distinguished sepals and petals. When the undifferentiated tepals resemble petals, they are referred to as "petaloid", as in petaloid monocots, orders of monocots with brightly coloured tepals. Since they include Liliales, an alternative name is lilioid monocots.

Although petals are usually the most conspicuous parts of animal-pollinated flowers, wind-pollinated species, such as the grasses, either have very small petals or lack them entirely (apetalous).

Corolla

The collection of all petals in a flower is referred to as the corolla. The role of the corolla in plant evolution has been studied extensively since Charles Darwin postulated a theory of the origin of elongated corollae and corolla tubes.

A corolla of separate petals, without fusion of individual segments, is apopetalous. If the petals are free from one another in the corolla, the plant is polypetalous or choripetalous; while if the petals are at least partially fused, it is gamopetalous or sympetalous. In the case of fused tepals, the term is syntepalous. Fused petals may form a tube, which is then known as a 'corolla tube'.

Details

A petal, in flowering plants, is a sterile floral part that usually functions as a visually conspicuous element of a flower. Petals are modified leaves and are often brightly colored or white to attract specific pollinators to the flower. Petals often come in multiples of three in monocots or in multiples of four or five in eudicots. Many horticultural flowers, such as roses and peonies, have been bred to have multiple layers of petals, resulting in showy, textured blooms.

Many flowers have two sets of sterile appendages, the petals and the sepals, that are attached below the fertile parts of the flower, the stamens and the pistils. All of the petals of a flower are collectively called the corolla, while all the sepals form the calyx. The calyx and the corolla together are referred to as the perianth. Like petals, sepals are modified leaves, but they are often green and somewhat rugged; they serve to protect and enclose the flower bud. Petals, by contrast, are often thinner and more delicate than sepals and come in a myriad of colors. In some flowers, such as many lilies and orchids, the petals and sepals are nearly indistinguishable in appearance; such undifferentiated structures are known as tepals.

The “petals” of certain members of the aster family (Asteraceae), such as those of daisies and sunflowers, are actually each individual flowers on a composite head. In more than half the members of the family, these ray flowers form in the outermost row or rows of the composite head and have a modified, mainly flat and elongate corolla that resembles an individual petal of most other flowers.

Additional Information:

Parts of a Flower

Plants are primarily divided into flowering and non-flowering classes based on whether they have flowers. A flower, a defining feature of flowering plants, is essentially an extension of the shoot used for reproduction.

The four primary components of most flowers are sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. The female component of the flower is the carpels, while the male component is the stamens. Most flowers are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female components. Others may be male or female and contain one of the two parts.

* Peduncle: The flower’s stalk is known as a peduncle.
* Receptacle: This is the area of the flower where the stalk is attached. It is tiny and is located at the centre of the flower’s base.
* Petals: This layer is located right above the sepal layer. The collection of petals is known as the corolla. Since their primary function is to draw pollinators, such as insects, butterflies, and other creatures, to the flower, they are often brightly coloured.
* Sepals: At the base of the petals, they are tiny, leaf-like components. They constitute the top whorl of the flower. Sepals are collectively referred to as the calyx. The primary purpose of the calyx and its sepals is to safeguard the flower before blooming (in the bud phase).
* Stamens: They are the male components of a flower. The androecium is a collection of many stamens. They are structurally separated into two parts:
* Filament: The extended, slender portion that connects the anther to the flower is called a filament.
* Anthers: The stamen’s head is where the pollen is produced, which is then transmitted to the pistil or other female sections of the same or different flower to induce fertilisation.
* Pistil: This constitutes the female components of a flower. The pistil consists of four parts: Style, Stigma, Ovary, and Ovules. The gynoecium is the term for a collection of pistils.

Corolla of Flower

What do you see when you first look at a flowering plant? Is it the flower, the stem, or the leaves? The brightly coloured petals of the flower are the most prominent part of most flowering plants. The corolla is the collective term for the arrangement of petals of flowers, which are frequently placed in a circle around the flower’s centre.

Most flowers include sepals, or little leaf-like structures, on the outside of the corolla that surround the petals before the flower develops. Most flowers have three more circles of structures added to the corolla that make up the entire flower. The first circle of structures inside the corolla is made up of many stamens and other male reproductive elements. The female reproductive part, known as the pistil, is located in a circle at the centre of the flower.

In this article, we will learn the corolla’s meaning, features, variations, and significant functions.

Meaning of Corolla

In plants, the term “corolla” refers to a collection of petals that strongly displays colour and encircles the stamen and carpel, the reproductive organs of a flower. Therefore, corolla or petals refers to the second whorl of a flower, which is internal to the calyx. Corollas can also be gamopetalous (fused) and polypetalous (free), just like the calyx.

Plants have a wide range of corolla shapes and colours. Corolla might be wheel-shaped, bell-shaped, tubular, or styled like a funnel. These corollas draw insects to the flower, and while at the flower, these insects participate in pollination.

Features of Corolla of Flower

* The important function of petals is to keep the vital flower components in their younger state.
* Due to the presence of specific pigments such as water-soluble anthocyanin, anthoxanthin, carotenoids, etc., corolla typically has a vibrant colour.
* The essential oil gives the petals their fragrance.
* Additionally, the petals have organs called nectaries that produce sugar-rich nectar to attract insects.
* Sepaloid has petals that are pale or green in colour. Examples are the Polyalthia and Annona species.
* The petals can occasionally be thicker while often being thin.
* The petal structure consists of two parts: the claw and the limb.
* The claw is the thin, stalk-like basal portion of a petal. All clawless bracts are sessile.
* A limb is the enlarged apex of the petals.
* Petals can have regular or irregular sizes and shapes.
* The corolla can have bilateral or radial symmetry.
* The edges of a petal might be whole, serrated, split, etc., much like a leaf lamina.

Functions of Corolla

Corolla performs three functional activities:

1. Pollination: The flower petals have a vibrant appearance and an aromatic fragrance that attracts everyone’s attention. Bees, birds, and other pollinating creatures thus aid in the fertilisation of flowers.

2. Storage: To draw pollinators, petals serve as storage for sugar-rich nectar.

3. Protection: The male (stamen) and female (carpel) reproductive elements of the flower, which are involved in fertilising the flower to generate fruits, are protected by the whorl of petals.

Conclusion

Thus, the group of petals collectively known as corolla is the most appealing feature of a flower due to its vibrant colours and fragrance. Although it does not directly participate in pollination, it indirectly can attract or deter specific pollinators.

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#1 Yesterday 22:00:32

Corolla

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