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How are the flower symmetries of Mimoseae and Faboideae different?
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Fabales
A flowering stalk of yellow partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) in the eastern United States.
The flower symmetries of Mimoseae and Faboideae differ significantly in their structural organization:
- Mimoseae: These flowers are characterized by radial symmetry (also known as actinomorphic). In this type of symmetry, the flower parts are arranged regularly around a central axis, allowing multiple planes to divide the flower into equivalent halves.1234
- Faboideae: These flowers exhibit bilateral symmetry (also known as zygomorphic). This highly irregular structure means the flower can be divided into two equal halves by only a single plane. This design is often compared to the shape of a butterfly, featuring distinct petal types such as a banner, wings, and a fused keel.1254
While Mimoseae and Faboideae represent these two distinct extremes of floral symmetry within the legume family, other groups, such as Cercideae and the rest of the Caesalpinioideae, display symmetries that are considered intermediate between these two types.12