Montessori Botany
Types of Flowers
Learn about the different types of flowers -- complete vs. incomplete, perfect vs. imperfect, solitary vs. inflorescent -- with a list of examples for each type. Use the free Types of Flowers worksheet at the end of the page to reinforce learning.
Contents:
- Types of Flowers: Video Presentation
- Complete vs. Incomplete Flowers
- What is a complete flower?
- Examples of a complete flower
- What is an incomplete flower?
- Examples of an incomplete flower
- Perfect vs. Imperfect Flowers
- What is a perfect flower?
- Examples of a perfect flower
- What is an imperfect flower?
- Examples of an imperfect flower
- Examples of monoecious plants
- Examples of dioecious plants
- Can a flower be perfect but incomplete?
- Are all imperfect flowers incomplete?
- Solitary vs. Inflorescent Flowers
- What is a solitary flower?
- Examples of a solitary flower
- What is an inflorescent flower?
- Examples of inflorescent flowers by subtypes
- Types of Flowers: Worksheet for Elementary
Types of Flowers: Video Presentation
Complete vs. Incomplete Flowers
What is a complete flower?
A flower is complete if it has all four main parts of a flower:
- the corolla, which is the collective term for all the petals of a flower;
- the calyx, which is the collective term for the sepals;
- the stamen, the male reproductive part of the flower, which is made up of the anther and the filament; and
- the pistil, the female reproductive part of the flower, which consists of the stigma, the style, and the ovary.
Check out our main post on the parts of a flower.
What are examples of a complete flower?
Complete flowers include those of hibiscus, roses, buttercups, and nasturtiums.
What is an incomplete flower?
An incomplete flower is one that lacks any of the four main parts: corolla, calyx, stamen, or pistil.
Flowers that lack petals are called apetalous flowers.
What are examples of an incomplete flower?
Incomplete flowers include the flowers of trees, such as oaks and hazels, and those of grass plants such as corn, wheat, and oat.
Perfect vs. Imperfect Flowers
What is a perfect flower?
A perfect flower is one that has both the male and female reproductive parts — that is, both the stamen and the pistil.
What are examples of a perfect flower?
Lilies, apple flowers, St. John’s wort, hibiscus, and roses are all examples of perfect flowers.
What is an imperfect flower?
If a flower only has the male (stamen) or the female (pistil) reproductive parts, it is called an imperfect flower.
Flowers that have only female parts are called pistillate flowers.
Flowers that have only male parts are called staminate flowers.
Sometimes a plant can have both male flowers and female flowers on one plant. These plants are called monoecious plants. Monoecious comes from the Greek words monos (meaning single) and oikos (meaning house) — thus, male and female flowers are in a single “house” (a single plant).
Plants that have male and female flowers on separate plants are called dioecious (di + oikos) plants. They are considered both incomplete and imperfect flowers.
What are examples of an imperfect flower?
An example of a plant with imperfect flowers is the corn plant. It contains two flowers:
- the tassel, which contains the anthers and produces pollen, and is considered the male flower; and
- the silks on the ear, considered the female flower, which contain the stigma and the style, and where each kernel is an ovule.
Holly and begonia are other examples of imperfect flowers.
What are examples of monoecious plants?
Corn, cucumber, squash, other gourds, beeches, and oaks are monoecious — they have both male and female flowers in a single plant.
What are examples of dioecious plants?
Soybeans, asparagus, kiwi, and hemp are examples of plants that are dioecious — male and female flowers are “housed” in separate plants.
Other examples include cottonwoods, willows, and many members of the family of cashews and poison oak.
Can a flower be perfect but incomplete?
Yes. Some flowers may have both male and female reproductive parts but lack a corolla (petals) and/or a calyx (sepals).
An example is the American elm. It doesn’t need sepals because the flowers are protected by winter buds, and because it is wind-pollinated, it doesn’t need petals to attract pollinators.
Are all imperfect flowers incomplete?
Yes. By definition, if any part of a flower is missing, a flower is considered incomplete. Since imperfect flowers don’t have either the male or the female reproductive parts, they are also necessarily incomplete.
Solitary vs. Inflorescent Flowers
What is a solitary flower?
A flower is solitary if there is only one flower growing from the stem.
What are examples of a solitary flower?
Solitary flowers include the rose, tulip, and narcissus.
What is an inflorescent flower?
If there is a cluster of flowers on one stem, it is considered inflorescent. The cluster of flowers is called an inflorescence.
What are examples of inflorescent flowers?
Determinate inflorescences:
- Cyme
- alstroemerias
- elderberry
- onion
- potatoes
- tomatoes
- Dichasium cyme
- baby’s breath
- wood stichwort
Indeterminate inflorescences:
- Spike
- barley
- false dragonhead / obedience plant
- gladioli
- ryegrass
- wheat
- Raceme
- delphinium
- foxtail millet
- lily of the valley
- Scotch broom
- snapdragon
- Panicle
- astilbe
- begonia
- grain sorghum
- Kentucky bluegrass
- oats
- rice
- Sudan grass
- tall fescue
- timothy
- Corymb
- hawthorn
- yarrow
- Umbel
- amaryllis
- Queen Anne’s lace
- Texas milkweed
- wax flowers
- Spadix
- anthurium
- calla lily
- philodendron
- Catkin
- alder
- birch
- oak
- willow
- Head
- chrysanthemum
- cineraria
- dahlia
- dandelion
- gerbera daisy
- marigold
- strawflowers
- sunflower
Note on the Worksheets
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Types of Flowers: Worksheet for Elementary
You can download a printable copy of this worksheet here: HuntersWoodsPH Types of Flowers Worksheet PDF
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Did you enjoy these worksheets on the types of flowers?
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