The Latin word corolla, which refers to a small crown, came to Spanish as corolla. The term is used to name the second whorl that is part of the complete flowers, located between the sexual organs and the calyx.
To understand what the corolla is, therefore, we must know the meaning of several concepts. According to abbreviationfinder.org, a complete flower is one that has a corolla, pistils, stamens, and a calyx. These four elements are organs or structures that make up the flower.
In the case of the corolla, it is a whorl: a grouping of three or more leaves or organs that are in the same plane around a stem. Composed of petals, the corolla is the inner whorl and is characterized by its color, with which it attracts insects for the development of pollination.
Let’s see some botanical concepts that can help us delve into the definition of the word corolla:
* perianth: it is a structure that has the function of covering or wrapping the sexual organs of the flower, and that, therefore, constitutes its non-reproductive portion. It is formed by the corolla, which is responsible for attracting insects for pollination, and the calyx;
* calyx: in the group of flowers that have heteroclamideous perianth, that is, its parts are of two different kinds, it is the external whorl. As can be seen in the previous point, the calyx complements the corolla. Its function is to protect the flowers and its essential components are the sepals, a series of sterile pieces, herbaceous in consistency and generally green in color;
* stem: it is one of the easiest parts to notice without the use of artificial instruments, such as a microscope, since its size is usually measured in centimeters. It is the organ in which the leaves, flowers and fruits are held. It is considered the axis of tracheophytic or vascular plants;
* knot: botany defines the knots as the areas of the stem that give rise to the leaves. In other words, it is about the points from which they are born;
* internode: the part of the stem in which two nodes meet, and from which a new branch is born is called the internode. It can also be defined as the sector of the stem that separates a pair of nodes. It is important to point out that the tissues are organized differently inside a node and inside an internode, since in the first case the vascular system connects the stem and the leaf.
Taking all this into account, we can say that for botany the whorls can be recognized in those plants that are organized into stems and leaves, provided that the stem is made up of nodes and internodes and that the leaves arise from the nodes.
There are different kinds of corollas. The regular corolla, also called actinomorphic corolla, is one that is divided into two symmetrical segments by any plane that passes through the midline of one of the petals or through the axis of the flower.
The irregular corolla, zygomorphic corolla or zygomorphic corolla, on the other hand, has the opposite characteristic: before a plane that passes through the midline of the petal or through the axis of the flower, it is not divided into symmetrical parts.
Another type of classification of the corollas is linked to the arrangement of the petals. In a gamopetalous corolla, the petals are welded together. On the other hand, in a dialipetalic corolla, the petals are free, without being united between them.
