Page 36 - Botany_2015_Proceeding

Triarch Student Travel Awards

1ST PLACE: A FLOWER OF A OJFF ERE J T COLOR
jEN NI FER DIXON - IOWA STATE U NIV ERS ITY

Grass flowers are rarely seen and often misunderstood. Most people who think of
flowers imagine colorful petals and a multitude of arrangements, while in the grasses,
flowers are tiny but can be just as diverse and beautiful as ot her flowering plants. This
image is indeed a flower- actually. several tiny flowers called florets. Here we see the
delicate "petals" called a palea and lemma, which enclose the reproductive structures
within. Grass specialists (agrostologists) can often identify a species of grass just by
looking at these tiny inflorescences. Note the purple shades at the tip of each floret, the
serrated edges, and the cream-colored veins. This image was taken from dried specimens
moistened with Po hi's solution, a mLx of water and detergent t hat is used to soften dried
specimens so they are easier to dissect. The darkened shaped within the delicate "petals"
are the ovary and stamen of these delicate grass flowers.

Family: Poaceae; Taxon: Eragrostis cilianensis; Common Name: stinkgrass; candy grass; gray
lovegrass

To see the complete gallery of all photographic art
submitted for the 2015 Triarch Awards see the website at:

http://botany.org/Piantlmages/ConantSTA20 15.php

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