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 Daisy florets
The Asteraceae have two basic kinds of individual flowers (florets). One of the key steps in identifying daisies is to be able to recognise these. |
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| Tube flowers have radially symmetrical corollas. The lobes are often short (as above). However in thistles they are very long. | Ligulate (or ray) flowers have one side of the corolla extended
into a ligule. The ligule is often a long strap, but can be quite
short (e.g. the flower on the right).
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Many daisies have tube flowers in the centre surrounded by long
ligulate flowers resembling petals.
Other species have only tube flowers, and others only ligulate flowers.
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Sometimes the bracts around the head (phyllaries) resemble
ligulate flowers, but if you check the base of these bracts you will
see that they are not flowers.
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University of Tasmaniareport issues |