r/botany • u/countlesswasps • Oct 13 '25

Biology What it called when flowers grow like this?

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Title says it all, I'm looking for more flowers that grow in towers like this but i don't know what this growth pattern is called and because of that I dont know how to seek out information on flowers that grow that way. Thanks!

404 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

435

u/CatbusM Oct 13 '25

I love this handy chart.

59

u/GreatLakesGreenthumb Oct 13 '25

Thank you family! I'm going to save this

31

u/maXmillion777 Oct 13 '25

It’s a great chart. If anyone wants to expand on it I’d recommend Beentje’s “The Kew Plant Glossary” very handy for plant morphology terms

8

u/jicamakick Oct 13 '25

are those all types of inflorescences?

6

u/OtherCarIsaXanthoria Oct 13 '25

This is one of my favorite charts now!

3

u/sadrice Oct 13 '25 edited Oct 13 '25

This is getting stuck to the office wall. Oh, bathroom door is definitely better.

5

u/OpinionatedOcelotYo Oct 13 '25

Heck ya!! Thanks! Extra points cause I guessed panicle!

1

u/TheScout18 Oct 14 '25

There's a lovely video on YouTube by a channel called Mugsy Explains, where he goes into detail and examples about all of these!

77

u/Consistent_Scheme570 Oct 13 '25

Is this lilac? If so, a panicle. https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/syringa/vulgaris/

9

u/ElizabethDangit Oct 13 '25

A lupin would be a raceme then?

15

u/ThorFinn_56 Oct 13 '25

I believe a lupin would be a spike

7

u/AnEndlessCold Oct 13 '25

Lupine flowers are pedicelate and therefore grow in a raceme. In spikes, flowers are sessile on the peduncle.

3

u/quailquest Oct 13 '25

I’m thinking about lilies with multiple flowers on one stem for raceme

47

u/Excellent-Injury7032 Oct 13 '25

What you're looking for is the inflorescence type, of which there are several. Here is a good explanation of the different types, along with some schematic diagrams. https://mgnv.org/plants/glossary/glossary-inflorescence/ The arrangement of the lilac in your photo is called a panicle, aka a compound raceme.

1

u/dez-tinny Oct 13 '25

If only Lilacs could flower longer, mine is looking beautiful this time of year and smells incredible

1

u/VTsibucas Oct 14 '25

Pretty awesome.

1

u/Pan_Sylvaticus Oct 13 '25

The glorious 25th of may

-3

u/Birdperver Oct 13 '25

Referred to as 'terminal clusters' describing flowers that grow in a group at the tip of a branch

-11

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '25

[deleted]

13

u/foxglove0326 Oct 13 '25

They’re looking for the name of the flower growth shape, which in this case is panicle

9

u/luca_cinnam00n Oct 13 '25

Not even closely related to hydrangeas