The statements given below describe an angiosperm flower:

A. A flower develops in the axils of bracts like axillary shoots.
B. The floral pedicel is the elongated node and the axis is condensed, like in a shoot.
C. Floral parts like calyx, corolla, androecium, and gynoecium are modified leaves.
D. Floral buds may sometimes get modified into vegetative buds or bulbits.

Select the option with all correct statements that support the idea that a flower is a modified shoot

Correct option is D

Explanation:

• A is correct: Flowers develop in the axils of bracts, which are analogous to axillary shoots, supporting the shoot origin theory.

• C is correct: Floral parts such as calyx, corolla, androecium, and gynoecium are indeed modified leaves.

• D is correct: Sometimes, floral buds can be modified into vegetative buds or bulbils, which are vegetative propagules — showing plasticity in floral development.

• B is incorrect: The floral pedicel is a stalk (not a node), and the floral axis is a highly condensed shoot axis; the description of an elongated node is inaccurate.

Information Booster:

• The floral structure originates from a modified shoot apical meristem forming a determinate axis.

• Bulbils and vegetative buds arising from floral structures indicate developmental flexibility.

• Bracts subtending flowers are analogous to leaves subtending shoots, consistent with the modified shoot hypothesis.