The CRISPATE GROUP or the CRISPATAS

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WHAT IS CRISPATION?

In the horticultural world "crispate, crispation, crispata" refers to extreme cell growth on the edges of leaves and petals, creating everything from fringe on tulips petals to lobed ruffles on coleus leaves. Among daylily enthusiasts, however, crispation refers to a sculptural twirling, quilling, twisting, back-curling, and/or pinching of the floral segments due to an irregular growth or expansion of tissues on the surfaces of the tepals.

These expressions of crispation arise from unequal tensions in the floral segments: the surface tissues expanding faster than those on the backs of the flowers, or visa-versa, or irregular tensions along the tepal edges. The effect is that the faster expanding cell layers compensate by rolling or twisting back onto the flower, or, as in "canoeing", roll up on themselves (see this shot of CHINESE CLOISONNE').

These crispate patterns superimposed over simple forms, whether slender or full-formed, render greater sculptural depth and movement within the form.

The rolling (quilling) of the sides of the tepals to form a tube. This may be extant either in partial (quilled at base, quilled at tips, quilled to mid-length) or the entire length of the tepal, creating a complete tube.

This is a rolling back of the tips of the tepals, creating a curl like a wood shaving or locket of curled hair.

This crispation expression is similar to ROLLING except that irrregular tensions along the edges of the tepals pull the curl around to the front or back of the flower, creating a twisting curl.

Click the link to the CRISPATA GALLERIES for some examples of this exciting group of flowers.

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