# Pappus (botany)

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Feathery part of a seed of a plant in the family Asteraceae

Not to be confused with [Glossary of botanical terms § coma](/source/Glossary_of_botanical_terms#coma).

This article is about a flower structure. For the mathematician, see [Pappus of Alexandria](/source/Pappus_of_Alexandria).

"Pappi" redirects here. For the 1934 German film, see [Pappi (film)](/source/Pappi_(film)).

The pappus-clad fruits that make up the familiar "[dandelion clock](/source/Taraxacum_officinale)" being dispersed by the wind (family [Asteraceae](/source/Asteraceae))

*[Bidens frondosa](/source/Bidens_frondosa)* achenes with barbed pappus

In [Asteraceae](/source/Asteraceae), the **pappus** is the modified [calyx](/source/Calyx_(botany)),[1] the part of an individual floret, that surrounds the base of the [corolla](/source/Petal) tube in [flower](/source/Flower). It functions as a dispersal mechanism for the [achenes](/source/Achene) that contain the seeds.

In Asteraceae, the pappus may be composed of bristles (sometimes feathery), awns, scales, or may be absent, and in some species, is too small to see without magnification. In genera such as *[Taraxacum](/source/Taraxacum)* or *[Eupatorium](/source/Eupatorium)*, feathery bristles of the pappus function as a "parachute" which enables the seed to be carried by the wind.[2] In genera such as *[Bidens](/source/Bidens)* the pappus has hooks that function in mechanical dispersal.

The name derives from the [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) word *pappos*, [Latin](/source/Latin) *pappus*, meaning "old man", so used for a plant (assumed to be an *[Erigeron](/source/Erigeron)* species) having bristles and also for the woolly, hairy seed of certain plants.

The pappus of the [dandelion](/source/Taraxacum) plays a vital role in the wind-aided dispersal of its seeds. By creating a [separated vortex ring](/source/Vortex_ring) in its wake, the flight of the pappus is stabilized and more lift and drag are produced.[3][4] The pappus also has the property of being able to change its morphology in the presence of moisture in various ways that aid germination. The change of shape can adjust the rate of [abscission](/source/Abscission), allowing increased or decreased germination depending on the favorability of conditions.[5][6]

## Biomimicry

The pappus of the dandelion has been studied and reproduced for a variety of applications. It has the ability to retain about 100 times its weight in water and pappus-inspired mechanisms have been proposed and fabricated which would allow highly efficient and specialized liquid transport.[7] Another application of the pappus is in the use of [minute airflow detection](/source/Air_flow_meter) around walls which is important for measuring small fluctuations in airflow in neonatal incubators or to measure low velocity airflow in heating and ventilation systems.[8]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Wunderlin, Richard P.; Hansen, Bruce F. (2011). *Guide to the vascular plants of Florida* (3rd ed.). Gainesville (Fla.): University press of Florida. p. 640. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8130-3543-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8130-3543-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Composite flowers"](https://www.backyardnature.net/fl_comps.htm).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Cummins, Cathal; Seale, Madeleine; Macente, Alice; Certini, Daniele; Mastropaolo, Enrico; Viola, Ignazio Maria; Nakayama, Naomi (2018). ["A separated vortex ring underlies the flight of the dandelion"](https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/171858/7/171858.pdf) (PDF). *Nature*. **562** (7727): 414–418. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2018Natur.562..414C](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018Natur.562..414C). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/s41586-018-0604-2](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-018-0604-2). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0028-0836](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0028-0836). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [30333579](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30333579). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [52988814](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:52988814).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Ledda, P. G.; Siconolfi, L.; Viola, F.; Camarri, S.; Gallaire, F. (2019-07-02). ["Flow dynamics of a dandelion pappus: A linear stability approach"](https://research.utwente.nl/en/publications/flow-dynamics-of-a-dandelion-pappus(f98244a1-97b0-4aa2-8a22-bcf113eb8d18).html). *Physical Review Fluids*. **4** (7) 071901. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2019PhRvF...4g1901L](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PhRvF...4g1901L). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1103/physrevfluids.4.071901](https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevfluids.4.071901). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[11568/998044](https://hdl.handle.net/11568%2F998044). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2469-990X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2469-990X). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [198429309](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:198429309).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Greene, David F. (2005). "The Role of Abscission in Long-Distance Seed Dispersal by the Wind". *Ecology*. **86** (11): 3105–3110. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2005Ecol...86.3105G](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005Ecol...86.3105G). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1890/04-1430](https://doi.org/10.1890%2F04-1430). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0012-9658](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0012-9658).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Seale, Madeleine; Zhdanov, Oleksandr; Cummins, Cathal; Kroll, Erika; Blatt, Michael R; Zare-Behtash, Hossein; Busse, Angela; Mastropaolo, Enrico; Viola, Ignazio Maria (2022). ["Environmental morphing enables informed dispersal of the dandelion diaspore"](https://doi.org/10.7554%2FeLife.81962). *eLife*. **11** e81962. [bioRxiv](/source/BioRxiv_(identifier)) [10.1101/542696](https://doi.org/10.1101%2F542696). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.7554/eLife.81962](https://doi.org/10.7554%2FeLife.81962).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Meng, Qingan; Wang, Qianbin; Liu, Huan; Jiang, Lei (2014). ["A bio-inspired flexible fiber array with an open radial geometry for highly efficient liquid transfer"](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fam.2014.70). *NPG Asia Materials*. **6** (9): e125. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/am.2014.70](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fam.2014.70). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1884-4049](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1884-4049).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Bruecker, Christoph H.; Mikulich, Vladimir (2017-06-28). ["Sensing of minute airflow motions near walls using pappus-type nature-inspired sensors"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5489159). *PLOS ONE*. **12** (6) e0179253. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2017PLoSO..1279253B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017PLoSO..1279253B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1371/journal.pone.0179253](https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0179253). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1932-6203](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1932-6203). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [5489159](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5489159). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [28658272](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28658272).

## External links

- [Asteraceae morphology](https://web.archive.org/web/20061012095329/http://www.botany.utoronto.ca/courses/BOT307/Carr-vascular/senecioneae.htm)

- [Composite flowers](https://www.backyardnature.net/fl_comps.htm)

- [Biomimetics](/source/Biomimetics)

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