What are Bracteate and Ebracteate Flowers

Q. What are bracteate and ebracteate flowers ?

Answer:- A bract is a type of leaf that has been modified or specialized. This is linked to the plant’s reproductive structure, which includes the flower, cone scale, and inflorescence.

They usually differ from other parts of the flower, such as the petals or sepals, in appearance. Bracteate and bracteolate refer to the presence of bracts, while bracteate and bracteolate refer to the absence of bracts, respectively.

The bract can be small or large and it can be any color, texture or shape.

Bracteate flowers have reduced leaves at the base of the pedicel, whereas ebracteate flowers do not.

Tulips and china roses are examples of bracteate flowers, while mustard is an example of an ebracteate flower. Bracteate flowers are those that have a reduced leaf at the base of the pedicel. Bracts are small leaf-like structures that grow at the base of flowers. Flowers such as China rose, tulip, lily, and others are examples. A group of bracts that appear in a whorl at the end of an inflorescence is known as an involucre. An involucre can be found beneath the inflorescences of many Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Dipsacaceae, and Polygonaceae species. In this case, each flower in an inflorescence may have its own whorl of bracts, referred to as an involucel.

The flowers are formed from the bract axils. This is a leaf-like structure. The bract protects the flower when it is in the bud stage. The flower is called bracteates if there is a bract present. The flower is called ‘ebracteate’ if the bract is missing. The pedicel of the flower has a bract-like structure between the bract and the flower in bracteoles. These are much smaller and more delicate than the bract. It could be one or two people. If bracteoles are present, the flower is referred to as bracteolate, and if the bracteole is absent, the flower is referred to as ebracteolate.