Definition

Noun: 1. A small or diminutive flower: This is the primary meaning, referring to a single, tiny flower. 2. A single flower from a composite flower head: In botany, a "floret" specifically refers to one of the many small individual flowers that make up the dense, compound flower head of plants in the aster family (Asteraceae), such as daisies, sunflowers, and broccoli.

Examples

• General small flower:
  • The bouquet was made up of tiny florets of baby's breath.
• Botanical usage (composite flower):
  • Each yellow disc in the center of a daisy is actually a cluster of tiny disc florets.
  • A head of broccoli is composed of hundreds of green florets attached to a stalk.

Advanced Usage

• "Disc floret" and "Ray floret": In composite flowers, there are often two types of florets. The disc florets are the small, tubular flowers typically found in the center. The ray florets are the strap-shaped flowers that look like petals around the edge.
  • In a sunflower, the brown center contains the disc florets, while the yellow "petals" are actually ray florets.

Variants and Related Words

• Floweret: A less common variant with the same meaning as "floret."
• Flower: The general term for the reproductive structure of a plant.
• Blossom: Often refers to the flower of a fruit tree or a flower in bloom.

Synonyms

• Bloomet
• Flowerlet

Related Phrases

• Composite flower / Inflorescence: The botanical term for a flower head made up of many small florets.
• Head / Capitulum: The dense cluster of florets itself.

Noun

1. a diminutive flower (especially one that is part of a composite flower)