Flowers with 1 petal (very rare) White Calla Lily Lilies have 6 petals; Fusing of petals

Flowers with 2 petals (very rare) Euphobia

Flowers with 2 petals (very rare) Can still be found in Singapore: photo taken outside a HDB flat

Flowers with 3 petals (quite rare) Waterplantain Trillium

Flowers with 5 petals (very common) Hibiscus Taken in Singapore

Bougainvillea: which one is the flower? Pink ‘flower’: 3 bracts or modified leaves; light-yellowish flower in centre has 5 petals; actually there are 3 flowers in centre

Columbine: How many petals? 5 petals & 5 sepals (modified petals) Most of the times, sepals look exactly like petals

Daffodil: How many petals? 3 petals & 3 sepals (modified petals)

Flowers with 8 petals (quite rare) Yellow Moonbeam Coreopsis Bloodroot

Daisies with 13 petals (quite rare) Black-eyed Susan Orange Zinnia

Daisies with 21 petals (quite rare) Shasta Daisy ‘Petals’ are bracts or modified leaves; 100-200 flowers in centre; Composite Flower

Daisies with 34 petals (quite rare) Field Daisy White Daisy

Flowers with 34 petals (quite rare) Sunflower ‘Petals’ are bracts or modified leaves; 100-200 flowers in centre; Composite Flower

Exceptions Ixora Daylily

Exceptions Starflower Passion Flower

Exception Type 1 Some flowers follow Lucas Sequence: 2, 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 18, 29, … Like Fibonacci sequence except first 2 terms are 2 and 1, instead of 1 and 1 Fibonacci: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, … E.g. 4 petals and 7 petals

Flowers with 4 petals Ixora: Taken in Singapore

Flowers with 7 petals Starflower

Exception Type 2 Doubling of the petals: e.g. from 3 to 6 petals; from 5 to 10 petals

Flowers with 6 petals Daylily 3 petals & 3 sepals We just use layman’s term: 6 petals. Why? Or else problem with daisies and sunflower

Flowers with 6 petals Iris 3 petals & 3 sepals

Orchid: 6 petals Singapore National Flower Vanda Miss Joaquim 2 petals, 3 sepals, 1 lip (modified petal)

Orchid: 6 petals Learn more about Singapore National Flower: www.nparks.gov.sg/plants/van/pla-van-van.shtml

Orchid: 6 petals NTU’s own flower: Dendrobium Nanyang

Orchid: How many petals? 2 petals & 3 sepals? Lip not obvious or no lip (hybrid)

Flowers with 10 petals Passion Flower Probably 5 petals & 5 sepals

Exception Type 3 Mutations and hybrids that have been created artificially also account for exceptions

Marsh Marigold: 5 or 6 petals? The 6-petal flower is a mutant

4 or 5 petals? Taken in Singapore The 4-petal flower is a mutant

Roses: How many petals? Hybrids: many petals

Wild Roses: How many petals?

Are you sure there is a pattern? Fibonacci: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, … Lucas: 4, 7, 11 (we haven’t seen 11 petals) Doubling (even nos.): 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, … (we haven’t seen 12, 14, 16, … petals) Petals: 1-8, 10-14 (cover most numbers!) If can find 9 or 15 petals, this is rubbish!

So where is the Fibonacci pattern? The Fibonacci pattern comes mainly from daisies: 13, 21, 34, 55 or 89 Botanists may disagree because some ‘petals’ are actually sepals or bracts But we go by what we laymen see. Why?

So where is the Fibonacci pattern? E.g. if nature has fused the 3 petals and the 3 sepals of the White Calla Lily into 1 petal, why call it 3 petals?

The Internet Search for 9 Petals… Marsh Marigold: “5-9 deep yellow petals” But mostly 5 petals 6-petal is a mutant “5-9 sepals; no petals” Website can be wrong

The Internet Search for 9 Petals… Lesser Celandine: “5-9 yellow petals” But mostly 8 petals Website can be wrong or the rest are mutants

The Internet Search for 9 Petals… Mayapple: “6-9 petals” But mostly 6 petals Website can be wrong or the rest are mutants

The Internet Search for 9 Petals… Royal Ramparts: “9 deep red-purple petals” Japanese Iris Nursery Probably a hybrid

The Internet Search for 9 Petals… Áashild Kalleberg: “8-9 petals & 3 sepals” Website says it is a hybrid Some sites on dried flower arrangements Conclusion: Flowers with 9 petals are either mutants or hybrids Websites are not always reliable

Websites on Fibonacci Numbers ccins.camosun.bc.ca/~jbritton/fibslide/jbfibslide.htm (contains other patterns as well) library.thinkquest.org/27890/applications5.html

How many ridges in a banana? Hint: It is a Fibonacci number ridge