Cup

The calyx arose during evolution in most cases as a result of concentration around the flower and modification of the upper bracts.

Sepals are similar to vegetative leaves, but their structure is simpler: they are usually small in size, simple in shape and have a green color, due to which they synthesize . They consist of the main parenchyma , often called mesophyll , which is penetrated by conductive bundles , the integumentary tissue is the epidermis . In the parenchyma, in combination with conductive elements, lactar can occur. The sepal mesophyll consists of more or less isodiametric cells forming loose tissue. The sepal epidermis is characterized by the development of stomata , trichomes, and deposition of cutin in the walls of cells.

The calyx can be dioecious , consisting of free sepals ( cabbage , buttercup , cherry ), and lanceolate , when sepals partially or completely coalesce along a greater or lesser extent ( tobacco , peas , potatoes ).

A cup tube, teeth (lobes), and lobes are distinguished in the congenital cup, depending on the degree of sepal fusion, the number of which corresponds to the number of sepals.

Depending on the characteristics of the tube, that is, the fused part of the calyx, a tubular ( Kalanchoe , tubal-colored ), bell-shaped (some clear- headed ) and funnel-shaped ( raphyolepis umbellate ) cups are distinguished.

A calyx is called a two- lip if it is divided into two unequal parts, each of which is called a lip ( scutellaria , sage , bobovnik ).

Sometimes a cup has two circles of sepals ( strawberries , mallow , raspberries ) - in this case, the outer circle is called the sub-bowl . The leaves of the sublimate are homologous to the stipules .

The main function of the calyx is to protect the developing parts of the flower in the early stages of its formation; that is why the outer covers of the bud, before blooming, are formed by a cup in flowers with a double perianth. When the flower blooms or during flowering, the cup sometimes disappears (the poppy family) or bends and becomes invisible.

Often, at the end of flowering, the calyx can change, acquiring new functions, mainly related to the distribution of fruits and seeds . For example, in the cinquefoil, the calyx serves as a receptacle for the fractional fruit, while in the asters , the cup turns into a crest (pappus), which facilitates the transfer of fruits by the wind. Sometimes on the cup there are characteristic serrated bristles with which the fruits cling to animal hair and people's clothes and are carried.

The calyx is usually green, but sometimes acquires a bright color and acts as a corolla , which in this case is often reduced to nectaries ( larkspur , aconite , hellebore ). In some cases, the calyx is poorly developed ( umbellate , asteraceae , valerian ).

In the flower formula, the characteristic of the cup is after indicating the symmetry of the flower and is indicated by the letter expression Ca ( lat. Calyx ) or K next to which the numbers indicate the number of elements, for example: Ca ₅ - double perianth: a cup of 5 sepals. If the sepals are fused, then in the flower formula the number of fused elements is taken in brackets, for example: Ca ₍₅₎ .

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