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Morphological Characteristics of Flowering Plants

Resource for understanding the morphological characteristics of flowers. This This resource provides an overview of the morphological characteristics used to describe and identify flowering plants. It includes detailed descriptions of flower shapes, inflorescence patterns, and leaf features such as arrangement, petiole attachment, shape, margin, and venation.

Flower Shapes

Flower shape describes the overall form and structure of a flower's petals and reproductive organs.

• Campanulate (Bell-shaped): Flowers that resemble a bell, with petals that flare out at the base. Red Trillium (Trillium erectum), Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
• Cruciform (Cross-shaped): Flowers with four petals arranged in the shape of a cross. Bitter Wintercress (Barbara vulgaris), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
• Cupulate (Cup-shaped): Flowers that form a broad, open cup-like shape, wider at the opening. Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Discoid (Disk-shaped): Flat, circular flowers, often seen in the Asteraceae family.
• Funnelform (Funnel-shaped): Flowers that are shaped like a funnel, wider at the opening and narrowing towards the base. Lesser Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
• Papilionaceous (Pea-like): Characteristic of the Fabaceae family, with a banner, wings, and keel. Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
• Rotate (Wheel-shaped): Flat, open flowers with petals that spread out horizontally. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
• Stellate (Star-shaped): Flowers with petals that spread out like a star. Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)
• Tubular: Long, tube-like flowers, often with a narrow opening.
• Urceolate (Urn-shaped): Flowers that are shaped like an urn or vase, with a narrow opening at the top. Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris)
• Zygomorphic: Flowers with bilateral symmetry, having distinct upper and lower parts, divisible into equal halves in only one plane.

Inflorescence

Inflorescence describes the arrangement and organization of flowers on a plant.

• Capitulum: A dense cluster of sessile or nearly sessile flowers, as seen in daisies and sunflowers. Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
• Catkin (Ament): A slim, cylindrical inflorescence with inconspicuous flowers, often wind-pollinated.
• Corymb: A flat-topped or slightly rounded inflorescence with the outer flowers opening first. Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
• Cyme: A flat or convex inflorescence where the central flowers open first. Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
• Panicle: A branched inflorescence with multiple racemes or spikes. Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Raceme: A simple inflorescence with flowers on short stalks (pedicels) along a central stem. Bitter Wintercress (Barbara vulgaris), Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)
• Solitary: A single flower that grows individually on its own stem, not part of a cluster or group. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)
• Spike: Similar to a raceme, but the flowers are directly attached to the central stem without pedicels.
• Umbel: A cluster of flowers with stalks of nearly equal length that spread from a common point, resembling an umbrella. Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

Leaves Arrangement

Leaf arrangement, or phyllotaxy, describes how leaves are positioned along a plant's stem.

• Alternate: Leaves are arranged singly at different heights along the stem, with one leaf per node.
  • Distichous: A type of alternate arrangement in which leaves are arranged in two vertical rows, alternating from one side of the stem to the other.
  • Spiral (Helix): A type of alternate arrangement in which successive leaves emerge at different angles around the stem, forming a helix.Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Basal: Leaves grow from the base of the stem, often forming a rosette. Bitter Wintercress (Barbara vulgaris), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
• Compound: A leaf divided into multiple distinct leaflets that are attached to a single leaf stalk (petiole), functioning together as one leaf. Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
• Opposite: Two leaves arise at the same level from opposite sides of the stem, with pairs of leaves at each node. Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
• Rosette: Leaves are arranged in a circular pattern at the base of the plant, often close to the ground. Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Whorled: Three or more leaves grow from a single node, encircling the stem. Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)

Leaves Petiole

The petiole is the stalk that connects a leaf blade to the plant stem, providing support and transporting water and nutrients between the stem and the leaf.

• Petiolate: Leaves that are attached to the stem by a distinct stalk called a petiole, separating the leaf blade from the stem. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Sessile: Leaves that lack a petiole entirely and are directly attached to the stem. Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Leaves Shape

Leaf shape refers to the general outline of a leaf, which can vary considerably between species.

• Cordate: Heart-shaped, with a notch at the base. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
• Elliptic: Oval-shaped, with the widest part in the middle and tapering equally towards both ends. Lesser Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
• Lanceolate: Shaped like a lance head, longer than wide, and tapering to a point at the apex. Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
• Linear: Long and narrow, with parallel sides.
• Lobed: Having distinct protrusions or lobes, which can vary in depth and number. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
• Obovate: The inverse of ovate, with the broader end at the apex. Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
• Orbicular: Circular or nearly circular. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
• Ovate: Egg-shaped, with the broader end at the base. Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris)
• Palmate: Hand-like, with multiple lobes or leaflets radiating from a central point.
• Pinnate: Feather-like, with leaflets arranged on either side of a central axis. Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
• Reniform: Kidney-shaped, with a rounded base and a notch.
• Sagittate: Arrowhead-shaped, with lobes pointing downward.
• Spatulate: Spoon-shaped, with a broad, rounded end and tapering to a narrow base. Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Leaves Margin

Leaf margin refers to the shape of a leaf's edge, which may be smooth, toothed, lobed, or otherwise modified.

• Crenate: Rounded teeth or scalloped edges. Woolly Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
• Dentate: Toothed, with teeth pointing outward rather than forward. False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
• Double Serrate: Serrate with smaller teeth on the larger teeth.
• Entire: Smooth, with no teeth or lobes. Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)
• Incised: Deeply cut, with sharp, irregular notches. Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Lobed: Indented with rounded or pointed projections (lobes). Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
• Serrate: Saw-toothed, with sharp teeth pointing towards the leaf tip. Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
• Serrulate: Finely serrate, with very small teeth. Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris)
• Sinuate: Deeply wavy, with more pronounced curves than undulate. Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
• Undulate: Wavy, with a gentle up-and-down pattern along the edge. Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

Leaves Venation

Leaf venation describes the arrangement and distribution of veins within a leaf blade. Veins transport water and nutrients throughout the leaf while also providing structural support.

• Arcuate: Veins curve towards the leaf margin, often seen in leaves with a smooth edge. Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
• Dichotomous: Veins fork repeatedly into two equal branches, seen in some ferns and ginkgo leaves.
• Palmate: Several main veins radiate out from a single point at the base of the leaf, similar to the fingers of a hand. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Woolly Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
• Parallel: Veins run parallel to each other along the length of the leaf, common in many monocots like grasses. Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)
• Pinnate: A central main vein (midrib) with smaller veins branching off to the sides, resembling a feather.
• Reticulate (Net-like): A network of interconnected veins, forming a web-like pattern, typical in many dicots. Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

All content on this page — including photos, videos, and field audio recordings — was created by Karl-Heinz Müller, a Montréal-based wildlife filmmaker, sound recordist, and photographer. Founder of MUUUH and Québec Sauvage, he has spent over a decade documenting Canada’s natural habitats through immersive soundscapes and wildlife films. Learn more about Karl-Heinz

Last updated: 2026-06-22