bractcovered

Bractcovered is a descriptive term in botany and horticulture used to denote plant structures that are covered by bracts, which are modified leaves associated with flowers or inflorescences. The term may be written bract-covered or bractcovered, depending on the source. Bracts can be green or colored and serve protective, nutritive, or attractant functions.

In many flowering plants, the most conspicuous components are bracts that partially or wholly surround the reproductive organs. When these bracts cover the inflorescence or individual flowers, the plant is described as bract-covered. This condition is notable in several horticulturally important species. For example, Bougainvillea has large, papery bracts that encircle small flowers; Euphorbia pulcherrima bears bright bracts that resemble petals around inconspicuous true flowers.

Beyond ornamental species, bracts may cover fruits or seeds in some taxa, providing protection or aiding dispersal. The term is also used comparatively to distinguish bract-covered morphologies from those with inconspicuous or absent bracts (bractless) and from bracteate forms that bear small bracts.

Related terms include bracteate (bearing bracts), bracteolate (having small bracts), and involucral bracts (structures surrounding a composite inflorescence). The study of bract-covered traits contributes to taxonomy and evolutionary biology by highlighting variations in floral protection, attraction, and dispersal strategies.