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  Aroid Parts department
From: mmarcotr at email.smith.edu (Michael Marcotrigiano) on 2008.07.31 at 13:25:01(18302)
Our titan arum bloomed and someone asked me what the botanical name is for the "bracts" that unfold and lay on the ground as the spathe pushes up. If it was truly one flower they would be sepals but it subtends and inflorescence. So is there a technical term for these few "bracts"? Any help appreciated.

From: nelange at comcast.net (Nathan Lange) on 2008.08.02 at 17:11:41(18312)
Perhaps some kind of involucre. Maybe with the addition of a term
referring to its location, like "hypogeal involucre."

Nathan

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From: botanist at malesiana.com (Peter Boyce) on 2008.08.02 at 21:01:24(18318)
They are cataphylls and are homologous with leaves. The first cataphyll on a
new branch is a prophyll and is usually distinguishable from other
cataphylls on the branch in bearing two keels along its length.

Tom Ray argued that the cataphylls occurring on a fertile shoot module
should be classified as different from those on a purely vegetative module
and that cataphylls should also be classified on their position AND on
whether the shoot module was a unit that had undergone a resting phase or
not. His ideas and in particular his nomenclature were never really taken
up, although Jin Murata did use the resting/non-resting differentiaton.

Peter

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From: LLmen at wi.rr.com (Don Martinson) on 2008.08.02 at 22:26:54(18319)
Involucre generally refers to more than one part (is this just a single
structure?) I thought of cataphyll, but than might only be appropriate if
it subtends a leaf and not a flower or inflorescence.

Don Martinson

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From: vorlonken at comcast.net (Ken Mosher) on 2008.08.03 at 13:42:09(18322)
I believe they're called cataphylls. At least that's what they're
called when the leaf is coming up; I'm not sure if they use the same
word when the inflorescence is emerging.
-Ken

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From: abri1973 at wp.pl (Marek Argent) on 2008.08.03 at 17:43:55(18323)

Hi,

I think this picture may be helpful for people who name the aroid
inflorescence simply "a flower".
Although it isn't any artistic drawing it helped some of my friends in
naming the inflorescence's parts.

Marek

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From: crogers at ecoanalysts.com (Christopher Rogers) on 2008.08.05 at 15:46:07(18327)
I would expect that they be cataphylls. Which, like the spathe are modified
leaves.

Cheers,

Christopher

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