The shape of flowers

Typical flower varieties

In this section I'll try to clarify the features of floral anatomy which contribute to the shape and varied constructions of the flowers themselves. The flower is shaped by six elements, popularly known as petals. Three of them, which make up the corona when seen from above are petals - these are the internal elements, which act as a lure for pollinating insects. Three more external elements, situated beneath the bases of the petals, are in fact sepals, playing defensive and supporting roles. The shape of these elements, as well as their spatial relationship to one another, determines the shape of the flower. The shape of the flower can be appreciated from two angles: vertical, when we look at the profile of the flower, and horizontal, when we look at the flower from above. Varieties whose petals form a unit smaller than, or very close to, that of a shot glass can be easily identified by appreciating the flower along the vertical plane, (fig. 2)

Jitterbug Jessie

Sea Urchin

Roses in Snow

Siewka Bodalskiego (Сеянец Бодальского)

This shape is characteristic of older varieties, which place have made way over time for newer generations which frequently possess flowers made of what look like flat elements in one plane, or resemble a turban wrapped to the rear. The flat-shaped flowers are most commonly characterized by very broad sepals, shaping the flower to that of a circle (fig.3).

Kiss My Grits

Madison Holly Lace

Solar Max

Magical Melody

The progress of cultivation has created the turban-shaped flowers (fig.4) characteristic of spider daylilies (a), further intermediate forms (b), as well as typical forms of daylily flowers (c,d).

Red Scorpion (a)

Gamma Galaxy (б)

Tart and Trendy (в)

Thunderbolts Way (г)

These floral characteristics have only relative significance, suggesting a single certain trend of construction and there are often no unchanging characteristics. Some varieties can move from one form or another over the course of a day during the evolution of flowering, depending on the influence of the prevailing external conditions (temperature, humidity). Turning to the category of typical flowers, a look at the daylily flower from above reveals a countless number of ways to distinguish the morphological variants, arising from the varied relationships between petals and sepals. Without diminishing in any way the role of pigment in the beauty of the daylilies, they remain an important part of determining their decorative value. Presented below is an attempt to systematize the characteristics of the boundless number of variations that dictate the different sizes and shapes of the six perianth elements and their mutual relationships when viewed from above. The most common form, and the one most embodying the notions of harmonious, symmetrical construction and traditional arrangement is a balance between petals and sepals. These classical proportions, with overlapping broad petals shaped like a wheel, emerge from the bottom of the wide base of the cup. They are accompanied by broad sepals, forming a slight edge outside the internal elements, which resembles a circle and complements the shape of the perianth (fig.5). Fig. 5 Daylily varieties with classically-shaped flowers

Dantes Inferno

Violet Etching

Dip Darling

Franks Delight

In some daylilies, the external outline of the flower forms a nearly perfect circle (fig.6). It is important to note here the varied shape of the petals, which are different in each of the four examples given in fig.6. Fig. 6 Daylily flowers having the shape of a wheel

Coyote Moon

Baby Moon Café

Mark Alan Perry

Spalding Memories

Each specific form dictated by the internal division of sepals uses a different method to complete the missing spaces and form a full circle. A similar example clearly shows the layout of the sepals. Here they have a different structure; they are longer and sharper and show up clearly outside the internal divisions, which alter the circular perianth figure, to form a more complex, star-shaped figure when seen from above. These resemble two overlapping isosceles triangles offset by 45 ° (fig.7) Fig.7 varieties of typical daylily flowers with sepals

Halloween Harvest

Stakes Winner

Rose Colored Glasses

Hero Worship

A slightly different category can be assigned to variants in which the sepals are even more "liberated" from their supportive and protective functions for the petals and instead act as a significant decorative element in the flower. This is characteristic of varieties intermediate between the classical and the spider (fig.8). The sepals are only slightly narrower than the petals and often rival them in length. Fig.8 Daylily varieties intermediate between classical and spider

Startlink Creation

; Eight Miles High

Bumblebee Lady

Sonic Duck

Another variant of the classical form of daylily flowers increasingly seen in the cultivators' collections are varieties in which the flowers resemble a triangle when seen from above. It is formed by the petals, but the outer contour is frequently enhanced by the sepals (fig.9). Fig.9 Triangular varieties of daylily flowers

Swan Angel

VG Oh Happy Day

Sp. Fancy Dancer

Shark Attack

Note how the triangular shape of the flower as seen "from above" is reinforced by the mouth and eye. The largest collection of these was introduced in 2010 by one of the most modern daylily cultivators - P.Stamile (fig.10) http://floydcove.com Fig. 10 Varieties of triangular daylily flowers from the collection of P.Stamile

Raspberry Prism

Emerald Prism

Feathered Prism

Awesome Prism

Triangular forms have become so prevalent in many forms of art and decorative solutions, that they will be most likely promoted in the near future as a separate group of garden flowers. The proposal for classifying 'typical' shaped flowers is basically an attempt to bring order to something which is fundamentally chaotic. The richness of Nature lies in her unpredictability, and freedom from all patterns and principles (fig.11). During a systematic search for the typical shape of a daylily flower, when viewed from above, flowers in the shape of a square (a, b), trapezoid (c) or a five-pointed star (d) can be encountered. Fig.11 Daylily flowers of various shapes

Chang Dynasty (a)

Pistachio Eyes (б)

King Crab (в)

Mount Etna (г)

It is remarkable that the mere six elements making up the six parts of the flower can act as the building blocks to create ever new, unprecedented forms, ad infinitum. This is realised to its fullest extent in the practice of breeding.