Talk:Bract

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Isn't the Bougainvillea a rather well known example of coloured bracts which are generally mistaken for the flower. If so, we should probably have an illustration. -- Solipsist 10:08, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Done. Bougainvillea is a good example. JoJan 16:34, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The article does not explain at all the difference between a bract and a petal. Isn't that just about the first fact that should be explained? -- Cimon avaro; on a pogostick. 06:56, 13 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A bract is a modified or specialized leaf, as stated in the first sentence. A petal, on the other hand, is part of a flower. JoJan 12:50, 13 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is a sepal a bract?

Apparently petals are not, based on the above comment. Does this mean that a petal didn't originate as a leaf? Or does it mean that there is are semantic lines drawn between flower parts, regular leaves, and modified leaves (bracts).Davefoc (talk) 19:10, 22 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Since nobody has answered this, I'll take a shot at an answer. The opening sentence of the article is this:
"In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale."

Based on the opening sentence it sounds like some parts of a flower might be bracts if they evolved from leaves*. However, this seems to be incorrect based both on other definitions and usage of the word. Bracts are modified leaves that are not part of a flower (which by the botanical definition of a flower includes only sepals, petals, stamens and pistils).
* According to the first sentence of the Wikipedia article on petals: "Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers."--Davefoc (talk) 18:53, 13 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Aricle Dendrogramma, which was recently a Wikipedia:Picture_of_the_day refers to bracts in the animal kingdom. Can this article be expanded to include that sense of the term? (See Talk:Dendrogramma#Clarification of "bract")
Christopher Ursich (talk) 17:27, 3 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The article mentions 'modified leaf' or 'specialised leaf'. This is very vague. A leaf is a leaf. The article should just mention something like - bract is a different kind of leaf (aside from the regular leaves) on the plant. KorgBoy (talk) 03:09, 28 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

How is "..a different kind of leaf.." any better than a "modified leaf". There is no such thing as a "regular leaf". Leaves come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and even colours, and surprise, surprise, this is exactly what the article says, only better. Why not try improving articles yourself, rather than raising abstruse questions on article talk pages? This may seem as verging on trolling.  Velella  ^{Velella Talk}   03:30, 28 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

see Hydrangea entry: http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=115977 "Flowers fertile or sterile. Sterile flowers few (more numerous in cultivated varieties), sometimes absent, borne at margin of inflorescence"

also Viburnum: http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=134551 "Flowers small, actinomorphic, but sometimes marginal flowers of inflorescence enlarged, somewhat zygomorphic and sterile, rarely entire inflorescence consisting of such sterile flowers; bracts and bracteoles usually small and caducous." Pcrooker (talk) 01:56, 7 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

As no one responded, I'm removing those pictures. Pcrooker (talk) 01:35, 18 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Douche. 2601:280:5B80:7170:798B:87A8:85F3:6B7 (talk) 02:50, 10 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]