tepalsthree

Teapalsthree is a botanical term used to describe a floral perianth consisting of three tepals. The term is employed when the petals and sepals are indistinguishable in form, so the perianth is treated as a single set of three segments rather than distinct petals and sepals. In tepalsthree flowers, the three tepals may be free or fused at their bases, and they often display radial (actinomorphic) or slight bilateral symmetry depending on the species. The concept is primarily used in morphological and evolutionary discussions of the perianth and is less common as a formal taxonomic category.

The occurrence of a three-tepal perianth is considered unusual relative to the more widespread six-tepal pattern in many monocots, and it is frequently discussed in the context of floral reduction, fusion, or developmental plasticity. Researchers may use tepalsthree to describe hypothetical or observed species where the typical two-whorl, six-tepals arrangement has been simplified to three segments.

Etymology: The name is a straightforward combination of tepal, a term for a perianth segment indistinguishable as either petal or sepal, and the numeral three.

See also: Tepal, Petal, Sepal, Floral morphology.