Question

What is inflorescence? Give a brief account of different types of inflorescence in flowering plants.

Answer 1

Hint: A flower is a very important part of the plant, formed specifically to help in the biological process of reproduction. The main function of these beautiful parts of the plants is to ensure that reproduction is achieved, it is done by attracting the pollinating agents or being evolved to make it easier for abiotic agents to easily transfer the pollen grains. The different types of arrangement of flowers along the flowering axis of a plant are known as its inflorescence.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The stalk is the basal part upon which the whole flower is formed and sustained till it achieves its goals in reproduction. Each flower-bearing stalk is called a pedicel. Some flowers do not occur in groups, rather these flowers occur individually and are known as solitary flowers. Only plants where a group of flowers is found can be said to possess an inflorescence.
The different types of inflorescence depend on the flowering axis of the plant, i.e. whether the floral axis keeps on growing or terminates after the flower at the tip is formed.
Based on the above-mentioned fact, the inflorescence is primarily of two different types,

i) Racemose Inflorescence- in this type of inflorescence, the flowers are formed laterally along the floral axis of the plant. In this case, the floral axis keeps on growing and the stem height is not terminated by the flower formed at the tip of the floral axis.

ii) Cymose Inflorescence- In this type of inflorescence, the growth of the stem is terminated by the formation of a flower at the tip of the stem.

Image - Racemose Inflorescence

Image - Cymose Inflorescence


Note Compound Inflorescence- In this type of inflorescence the main axis or the peduncle branches repeatedly once or twice in a racemose or cymose manner. In the first case, it becomes a compound raceme and in the latter case, it becomes a compound cymose inflorescence.
There are many other types of inflorescence evolved specifically for different plants but they all are divided into these two primary divisions of racemose or cymose inflorescence.