Pappus (botany) Pappus (botany) The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual floret, that surrounds the base of the corolla tube in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The term is sometimes used in other plant families such as Asclepiadaceae (milkweeds), whose seeds have a similar structure attached, although it is not related to the calyx of the flower. The Asteraceae pappus may be composed of bristles (sometimes feathery), awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see without magnification. In species such as Dandelion or "Eupatorium", feathery bristles of the
Systematic Botany Systematic Botany Systematic Botany is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the study of systematic botany. It is published quarterly by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. According to the "Journal Citation Reports", the journal has a 2010 impact factor of 1.897. "Systematic Botany" was established in spring 1976 under founding editor-in-chief William Louis Culberson (Duke University). The current editor-in-chief is James F. Smith (Boise State University). The American Society of Plant Taxonomists also publishes the peer-reviewed taxonomic monograph series, "Systematic Botany Monographs" since 1980. "Systematic Botany" is abstracted and indexed in Agricola, Agris, BioOne, PubMed, Scirus, and Science Citation Index