involucre; involucrum
Botanical term for the whorl of bracts surrounding a flower cluster, as in the Asteraceae family.
The involucre of a dandelion wraps around the base of the flower.
Standard botanical spelling.
Variant spelling; 苞 is the preferred character for botanical bracts.
From 総 (そう, 'all, whole') + 苞 (ほう, 'bract, husk'), referring to the collective bracts surrounding an inflorescence.