Figure 1.

Elaborate Petals and Petal Elaboration.

(A) to (H) Representative species with elaborate petals. (A) Dianthus chinensis (Caryophyllaceae), with five elaborate petals with marginal teeth. (B) Trichosanthes kirilowii (Cucurbitaceae), with five elaborate petals with marginal fringes. (C) Rhyncholaelia digbyana (Orchidaceae), with one elaborate petal (i.e., labellum) with marginal fringes. (D) Berberis sp. (Berberidaceae), with five petals with each bearing two marginal lobes and two ventral lobes. Inset image shows the magnified two ventral lobes. (E) Aquilegia yabeana (Ranunculaceae), with five elaborate petals with curved spurs. (F) Angraecum sesquipedale (Orchidaceae), with one labellum with a long spur (∼30 cm). (G) Eranthis stellata (Ranunculaceae), with about 12 petals, each of which is tubular with a stalk and two yellowish pseudonectaries. Inset image shows the magnified elaborate petal. (H) Paphiopedilum micranthum (Orchidaceae), with one labellum with a pocket.

(I) Virtual clay models of elaborate petals and main ways of petal elaboration. White triangles indicate the positions from which the petals were connected to the receptacles. Blue and red arrows imply marginal and ventral elaborations, respectively.

(J) N. damascena, with eight highly elaborate petals (see [K] and [L]).

(K) and (L) Side (K) and front (L) views of a mature petal under stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope. The three basic components and the highly specialized characters are shown in white and yellow, respectively. Bar = 1 mm.