Shapes of Corollas

The corolla of a flower is composed of a number of petals, often fused into different shapes. There are polypetalous (many-petalled) corollas that may be regular, such as the caryophyllous (claw-shaped) pink and the cruciform (cross-shaped) wallflower, or irregular, such as the papilionaceous (butterfly-shaped) pea flower. Regular sympetalous corollas (i.e. corollas with fused petals) are the funnel-shaped morning glory, the campanulate (bell-shaped) bellflower, and the urceolate (urn-shaped) heather flower. There are also irregular sympetalous corollas, such as the ligulate (strap-shaped) ray flower of the dandelion and the labiate (tongue-shaped) sage flower.

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