Sepal

Sepals are one of the four basic parts of a flower. They are found below the petals.

The sepals are often small and green. Some flowers do not have petals. Then the sepals may be big and colorful. In some flowers, the petals and sepals look the same. They are both called tepals.

All the sepals together are called calyx. The number of sepals is different for different flowers. Both petals and sepals surround the reproductive parts inside the flower. The term for sepals plus petals is the perianth.

The main job of the sepals is to keep the parts of the flower safe before it opens.They are usually green and leaf-like

Sepal Media

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  Diagram showing the parts of a mature flower. In this example, the perianth is separated into a calyx (sepals) and corolla (petals)

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  After blooming, the sepals of Hibiscus sabdariffa expand into an edible accessory fruit

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  In many Fabaceae flowers, a calyx tube surrounds the petals.

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  The large calyx of the medlar fruit is the source of its vulgar nicknames.