Pappus of Cirsium arvense

In flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae, Pappus is the part of an individual disk or ray floret surrounding the base of the corolla, equivalent to the calyx of a non-compound flower. The pappus may be like bristles or tiny hairs, teeth, or scales, and can be too small to see without magnification. In some species, such as Dandelion or Eupatorium, the pappus of the mature fruit functions as a "parachute" which enables the seed to be carried by the wind.^[1] The name derives from the Ancient Greek word pappos, Latin pappus, meaning "old man", so used for a plant (assumed to be an Erigeron species) having bristles and also for the woolly, hairy seed of certain plants.

[edit] References

1. ^ "Composite flowers". http://www.backyardnature.net/fl_comps.htm. 

[edit] External links

• Asteraceae morphology
• Composite flowers

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