Corolla: The entire set of
petals of a flower. In composite species, the capitula
are composed of multiple tiny florets, each having its own
corolla. The disk florets are the rayless ones located in
the center of a composite flower head. The petals (corollas) of these
florets are fused or united to form a narrow vase-shaped tube, called the
"limb". The "lobes" comprise the flaring,
upper-most portion of the limb. Depending on the species, the
lobes will flare to various degrees. For some species the lobes
hardly flare at all, whereas for others they flare a great deal. This is one of the post important characteristics used
to distinguish the aster species from each other. In the upper
image (of Ionactis
linariifolius), the lobes flare only slightly. In the lower
image (of Symphyotrichum
lateriflorum), the lobes are strongly reflexed.
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