New to the Glossary: Perianth, Calyx, Corolla, Petal, Sepal, Tepal

by Mary Free and Christa Watters, Extension Master Gardeners

Gardeners often incorporate plants into their gardens based on the color, size, beauty, or rarity of their blooms. The showiest parts of a flower are usually the petals, and just as they attract your eye, they are designed to attract the pollinators that will aid in the flower’s reproduction. Sepals, usually the green, leaf-like structure beneath the petals, protect a flower. In some flowers though, sepals are colorful like petals; and if you cannot differentiate between the petals and the sepals, then they are called tepals—usually.

Learn more about petals, sepals, tepals, and other terms related to a flower’s non-reproductive parts—their functions and their idiosyncrasies—as well as answers to the questions below.

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