Key to Tasmanian Dicots
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Perianth
The perianth is a collective term for the petals and sepals (whether they are fused or free). In some groups (e.g. Proteaceae) there is only one perianth whorl - in this case the flower is said to have tepals.
In many flowers the petals are conspicuous and coloured, but in some cases the sepals or tepals are petaloid. In some cases all the perianth parts are drab.
Leptospermum has coloured petals and plain sepals
Lasiopetalum has tiny petals and petaloid sepals
Lomatia (Proteaceae) has only one perianth whorl. These are called tepals
In Eucalyptus the perianth parts are fused into a woody cap (an operculum) Richea also has an operculum, but this is soft and petaloid
University of Tasmania
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