ligulate flower
Quick Summary
A ligulate flower is a type of flower that is shaped like a strap or tongue. The term "ligulate" means furnished with ligules, which are small, strap-shaped appendages. In botany, this term is often used to describe the corolla of a ray flower in a composite flower head, such as those found in sunflowers or daisies.1
The word "ligule" itself comes from the Latin word for a small tongue or strap. A plant may have a ligule as a projection on its leaf, particularly on the sheath of a grass blade. A flower that has ligulate flowers is described as liguliflorous. The genus Ligularia contains herbs with strap-like petals.234
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