multisepalous

Multisepalous is a botanical term used to describe a flower that possesses more than the typical number of sepals. Sepals are the outermost whorl of floral leaves, which typically enclose and protect the developing bud. In most flowers, there are five sepals, arranged in a whorl. However, in some species, this number can be greater.

A flower that is multisepalous will exhibit a larger quantity of these protective structures. This variation can be a characteristic feature of certain plant families or genera. For instance, some members of the Ranunculaceae family, such as certain species of buttercups, can display a multisepalous condition. The increased number of sepals can sometimes lead to a more robust or layered appearance of the calyx, the collective term for all the sepals of a flower.

The term is derived from "multi-", meaning many, and "sepalous", referring to sepals. It is the opposite of terms like "pentalepalous" (having five sepals) or "tetrasepalous" (having four sepals). The presence of a multisepalous calyx can be a useful diagnostic feature for botanists in identifying and classifying plant species. This characteristic is typically observed during the examination of floral morphology.