As gardeners we often come across terms that are a bit
confusing. Hydrangeas and clematis, for instance, do not have
petals. They have colorful sepals that look like petals. Some
double flowers have stamens and even pistils that have
transformed into petals. How can an ordinary gardener with just
a bit of curiosity about such terms sort out the differences? A
bit of basic terminology will help us to understand such
mysteries. Complete flowers are composed of four parts, sepals,
petals, stamens, and pistils. These four parts are arranged in
whorls from outside to the center of the flower. A sepal is a
leaflike flower part that is the outermost whorl of a flower.
Usually it is green and can be found underneath the petals. The
sepal is the part that encases and protects the flower when it
is in the bud stage. All of the sepals together make up the
calyx of a flower. A petal is a leaflike part that is often
colorful. In complete flowers, the petals are the second whorl
and are positioned inside the sepals. All pe