Petals surround the reproductive parts of a flower. Their beauty catches our eye and also the eye of pollinators.

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Drawing courtesy Carrie Liz Carpenter

All the petals, considered as a unit, are called the corolla.

Redwood Sorrel’s pale petals show up well in the low light where they live. The petals offer pointing lines and a specially-colored landing zone to help bees, flies and butterflies find the target.

Redwood Sorrel – photo courtesy of Steve Matson

Petals aren’t always flat. They can fuse to form tubes and various other shapes.

Davidson’s Penstemon – painting © John Muir Laws

Here is a generic flower diagram, showing reproductive parts in the middle, surrounded by petals, and the petals by sepals. Each species makes its variations on this plan - dropping parts and changing shapes to succeed in its environment.

Drawing courtesy Judy Mason

Want more? See Wikipedia.

Corrections/Comments: bruce@PlantID.net