Imbricate aestivation describes sepals or petals overlapping in which manner?

• A. They just touch at margins without overlapping
• B. They overlap one another in any particular direction
• C. They overlap one another in a pattern/direction
• D. They are fused at the base

Answer: (B)

Imbricate aestivation is about how the margins of petals or sepals overlap in the bud. Here, the edges overlap each other, but in a definite direction rather than just touching. This creates a layered, overlapped arrangement where one edge sits over another in a particular orientation. It’s different from a valvate arrangement, where margins merely meet without overlapping, and from contort, where the overlaps alternate in direction around the bud. So describing the pattern as overlapping in a single, directional way captures the essence of imbricate aestivation.