There are also a few genus specific flower types, such as cyathium, the flower type for Euphorbia.īut by and large, flower types are some combination of the above. Compound corymbs, heliod cymes, vertilicaster, and other even more improbable sounding names. Cute, I know:) Queen Anne’s Lace, Poison Hemlock and parsley are all examples.įrom all these inflorescence types, there are numerous variations. If there is another set of tiny umbrellas at the end of the spokes, that is called a compound umbel (those tiny sets of umbrellas are called ‘umbelletes’. Onion, garlic, and milkweed are all examples. If there are flowers at the end of the spokes, that is called a simple umbel. More technically speaking, an umbel is an inflorescence where the flower stems all come from the same point, and create a flattened or rounded top. From the Latin umbra for ‘shadow’, these are essentially little umbrellas flipped inside out.
