Inflorescence

Gladiolus imbricatus

Lamium orvala

A single 'sunflower' is a composite of many tiny flowers

An inflorescence is a flowering stem. The term is most used for a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem. It is a very common arrangement, which keeps the flowers together.

Sometimes the inflorescence is so tight it looks like one single flower. What you see as a single daisy is actually formed of several hundred tiny flowers packed together.

Sometimes it is just a close bunch of flowers (e.g. Antirrhinum) on a spike.

An inflorescence is the reproductive portion of a plant; each plant bears its flowers in a specific pattern.

Advantages

The advantages of the inflorescence mode is all about reproduction compared to a single primitive flower of the Magnolia type.

Numbers

There may be dozens or even hundreds of flowers in an inflorescence, with many seeds or fruits for each flowering.

Pollination

Increased pollination is an important bonus. Massing flowers together makes them move visible to pollinating insects and birds.

Seed or fruit dispersal

Dispersal by wind or animals is improved by having the flowers at the top end of a stem.

References

• Wilhelm Troll: Die Infloreszenzen; Erster Band. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1964
• Wilhelm Troll: Die Infloreszenzen; Zweiter Band, Erster Teil. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1969