Kinds of Flowers

Sympetalous

• Sympetalous flowers have their petals joined or semi-joined. The flowers themselves can assume several forms: they can be funnel-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the base; they can be campanulate, narrower and in the shape of a bell; they can be tubular, longer than they are wide; and they can be bilabiate, which present irregular corolus with two very distinct lips, with the upper one made by joining two petals and the lower one made by joining three. Bindweed and Morning Glory are examples of a funnel-shaped flower, rosemary is an example of a bilabiate flower, and viper's bugloss is an example of a campanulate

Polypetalous

• The petals in polypetalous flowers are not joined at all. Instead they are arranged separately from each other. Polypetalous flowers generally possess three, four, or five petals, and types of these flowers include roses and camellia.

Actinomorphic and Zygomorphic

• Actinomorphic flowers can be divided into two equal parts if a line is drawn through their center from one side to the other. This is the case regardless of where the line is drawn. The majority of flowers can be classed as actinomorphic. Zygomorphic flowers can be divided into two equals parts only if they are divided bilaterally, with a single plane of symmetry.

Perennials, Biennials and Annuals

• Flowering plants can either be classified as annuals or perennials, depending on how many of the year's seasons they are able to survive through. Perennial flowers, such as the purple coneflower, die only in the top portion each winter, and then grow back the following spring. Some flowers, such as the pink primrose, are able to survive for three or more seasons. Biennials, such as the foxglove, require two years to complete their life cycle, and flower during their second season. On the other hand, annual flowers, such as the plains coreopsis only grow during one growth season and subsequently die off.