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Post by kctomato on Apr 22, 2013 12:55:15 GMT -5
About Bracts
Bracts are a modified leaf often found at the base of a flower. They differ from sepals and often enclose young flowers which eventually emerge from them. They may be brightly colored and large or inconspicuous and small
This is an Anthurium flower for those not familiar with those flower.
The red heart-shaped part is the specialized leaf called a bract. On Anthuriums, bracts are part of the specialized flower called a spathe.
Some plants like bougainvillaea or dogwoods also have showy bright colored bracts but their flower structures are not spathes.
Most bracts on plants are small and inconspicuous.
Though a number of different plant families may have bracts, Mint family plants are ones most people are familiar with that have bracts. Most often mint family plants have non-showy bracts such as Salvias, bee balm, and Lamiums.
An example of non-showy bracts would be the green enclosing the flower (which the whitish petals eventually emerge from) of a regular basil plant.
By contrast these purple/reddish Thai basil bracts are rather showy.
Though most Salvias do not have showy bracts, a few Salvias are grown and named for their more showy bracts rather than just their flower color. Salvia mexicana 'Limelight' with more light green bracts And my favorite: Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue" with showy black bracts.
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