Phyllaries

Phyllaries, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

What's a phyllary, you may ask? Well, maybe you wouldn't, so I'll tell you.

A phyllary is a modified scale-like bract that subtends the inflorescence of a flower in the Asteraceae. That's the sunflower family for you non-botany nerds out there.

I like this presentation of the common sunflowers we have in our Ohio prairies. It highlights the interesting phyllaries that support the big flower heads of these beautiful plants.