What is hypanthodium?

Answer 1

Hypanthodium is a special type of inflorescence in which main axis forms the fleshy, hollow and pear shaped receptacle with a narrow apical opening guarded by small overlapping bracts. There are large number of flowers borne on the inner side of the hollow receptacle. There are three types of flowers, male female and gall flowers (sterile flowers). Male flowers are present towards the opening and female flowers are at the base of the cavity. Gall flowers are present in between the male and female flowers

Example: Found in the Ficus species

Dorstenia foetida is a native of Arabia and Ethiopia. It is an evergreen perennial with a thick dark green- to mahogany-colored stems and light green lanceolate leaves. They are strange looking plants that reach about 12 inches (30 cm) in height in containers.

Blooming Time: The tentacle-like bracts are termed a hypanthodium on which small flowers arise.