Heteromers

Heteromers

The term heteromers, in botany, refers to when an organ has a number of elements outside the norm, or has a different number of elements from another (example: calyx and corolla with different number of lobes).
The term heteromers is used for those flowers in which the verticils do not all have the same number of elements.
The term heteromer provines from the Greek words hetero, héteros “other, different” and mero, méros “part”.
The term heteromers therefore refers to the floral whorls that have a number of elements different (different) from that of the other whorls.
If, on the other hand, they carry the same number of pieces, they are called isomers or homomers.
In turn, the heteromeric verticils are defined:
– pleomers or pleomers if they have more elements than normal;
– meiomers or oligomers if they have fewer elements than isomers.