Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one or more whorls immediately below a flower head.
[1] Phyllaries provide protection to developing flowers and fruits.
[4] In the dandelion hybrid Taraxacum japonicum × officinale, recurved phyllaries help defend the flowers from herbivory by slugs.
[4] The hooked phyllaries of burdock species (Arctium) cling to the fur and feathers of animals, dispersing the seeds away from the parent plant (exozoochory).
[6][7] Phyllary morphology is useful in plant identification as between species of the Asteraceae family, they may vary in number, shape, width, length, hairiness, presence of glands, or texture.