compound flower

American  

noun

1. the flower head of a composite plant.

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compound flower British  

noun

1. a flower head made up of many small flowers appearing as a single bloom, as in the daisy

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Etymology

Origin of compound flower

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Dorothy explained to them that the clover-blossom or head is a compound flower, because a head is made up of many flowerets, each complete in itself.

From Donald and Dorothy by Dodge, Mary Mapes

The inflorescence of a compound flower in which many florets are gathered into a involucrate head.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

This name was first given to the down like that of the Thistle, but is applied to all forms under which the limb of the calyx of the "compound flower" appears.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa