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Glite Dictionary
involucrate

involucrate

1 9.9
Having a ring of small leaves around a flower head like a sunflower
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪnvəˈluːkrɪt/
  • Specialized
: involucrado
  • The involucrate flowers of the plant are surrounded by green bracts that protect the buds.

Examples

  • The involucrate heads of the sunflower are characteristic of the family Asteraceae.

  • The presence of involucrate bracts helps botanists identify many composite flowers.

  • Some species in this genus produce conspicuously involucrate flower clusters.

  • The involucrate flowers of the plant attract many pollinators.

  • Is this species known for its involucrate structure?

  • In botanical studies, the involucrate forms distinguish certain species from others.

  • Many plants exhibit involucrate characteristics, which play a role in attracting pollinators.

Surface Forms

involucrate positive

Morphology

involucrate = involucre (opaque) = in + volucr + ate

The term 'involucrate' is derived from 'involucre', but the specific botanical meaning is not easily deduced from the components.

Etymology

Involucrate comes from the Latin involucrum, built from in- 'in' and volvere 'to roll', and it originally meant a 'wrapper'. Think of an envelope or a wrapper around a letter: an involucrate plant has leaf-like parts called bracts that wrap around the flower, so the word means 'having a covering of bracts'.