February 2007

Elements and Principles: FORM
The shape or configuration of an individual component of the composition the overall, three dimensional, geometric shape or configuration of a floral composition

Form is essentially shape, and every component of a flower arrangement carries with it some form. As examples, consider the rounded form of a gerbera flower or the angular form of a bird-of-paradise inflorescence. The repetition of a form can lend unity to a design whereas variation among the forms can generate interest or contrast.

Cut flowers are often classified by their forms, which may describe not only the shape of an inflorescence but also its use in a floral design. For example, mass flowers exhibit a single, rounded shape. Filler flowers are typically smaller, branched or clus­tered, and used in between the major flowers in a design. Line flowers have a spike or linear shape. So-called form flowers are those that have a bold or graphic outline or a unique and distinctive shape which does not fit easily into one of the other categories. Bear in mind that a flower’s apparent form may be affected by manipulation as well as by its position or application within an arrangement. (See Flower Forms below)

With the exception of some abstract designs, most floral compositions them­selves are categorized according to their form, meaning that they could be completely enclosed by a single, simple geometric outline. There are just a few basic geometric forms in nature: the circle (including ovals), the square (including rectangles and trapezoids, and the triangle (with all its infinite variations). The shape that would best enclose a floral design describes its form, which may or may not be clearly visible or outlined. A closed-form design expresses its overall geometric shape in a fairly literal sense, exhibiting relatively little open space among its components, whereas an open- form arrangement has a relatively spacious appearance and displays more voids in its construction. Often, the first few stem placements in a floral composition will determine its form, or geometric boundaries (See Geometric Forms).

A mass design is one in which the form is emphasized over line as the dominant element and which incorporates relatively little negative space.

Flower Forms Glossary
FLOWER FORM: the classification, for design purposes, of a floral material according to its predominant dimensional qualities, with regard to its shape, its STRUCTURE, and/or its usage within a COMPOSITION. See FILLER FLOWER, FORM FLOWER, LINE FLOWER, MASS FLOWER.

FILLER FLOWER: any OPEN FORM INFLORESCENCE that is branched or clustered and used to fill space between major components within a design. Filler flowers are comparatively small and usually remain subordinate to the other materials in a floral COMPOSITION. Examples include gypsophila, waxflower, and limonium. See FLOWER FORM, FORM FLOWER, LINE FLOWER, MASS FLOWER.

FORM FLOWER: any INFLORESCENCE having shape as its most distinctive characteristic. Form flowers typically have a bold, unique, or sculptural outline which is used as a featured component of a design. Examples include iris, heliconia, and calla. See FILLER FLOWER, FLOWER FORM, LINE FLOWER, MASS FLOWER.

INTEREST FLOWER: FORM FLOWER

LINE FLOWER: any INFLORESCENCE having a spike-like or linear form, or featuring an elon­gated stem. Line flowers are often used to create the structural framework of a design and to provide a pathway for the eye to follow. Examples include gladiolus, liatris, and larkspur. See FILLER FLOWER, FLOWER FORM, FORM FLOWER, MASS FLOWER.

MASS FLOWER: any CLOSED FORM INFLORESCENCE having a single, dense, rounded head at the top of a stem. Mass flowers are often used to add visual weight and volume to a design. Examples include carnation, dahlia, and chrysanthemum. See FILLER FLOWER, FLOWER FORM, FORM FLOWER, LINE FLOWER.

RENEGADE FLOWER: a term sometimes used to describe an INFLORESCENCE which may fall into more than one FLOWER FORM category. For example, a bird of paradise may be used to simultaneously express LINE as well as uniqueness of FORM within the same COM­POSITION. See FILLER FLOWER, FLOWER FORM, FORM FLOWER, LINE FLOWER, MASS FLOWER.

Flower Forms
from the AIFD Guide to Floral Design

From the time when flower arrangers first began to assemble floral materials into pleasing designs, they have sought to categorize the flowers into an orderly sys­tem of classification based upon their shapes. Thus, the notion of flower forms emerged as a simple way for floral artists to distinguish among their materials and to create guidelines for the proper placement of these materials relative to one another within a composition. At a time when the variety of flowers available for use by the designers was limited (as compared to the much broader selection of today), and when the “acceptable” styles of arrangements were also restricted, the four recognized flower forms-line, mass, form, and filler-could be rather narrowly defined, strictly according to the morphology or shape of the inflorescence, and still be adequate to describe the materials’ characteristics and uses. Flowers that fell outside these categories, or which occupied more than one classification, were termed “renegades”, quaintly implying that they had defected from their assigned groups.

Today, however, as design styles have evolved creatively and the variety of avail­able flowers has become more abundant, the distinctions among the flower forms have become more fluid and subjective. We recognize, for example, that the usage of a flower-its placement within the design-has a great deal of influence over its perceived form. Consider a stem of stock; traditionally, since its florets occur in a linear arrangement along its stem and, when well grown, the inflorescence exhibits an elongated form, it would be classified as a line flower. But if that stem of stock were to be cut short and plunged deeply into the center of a mass arrangement, enhancing the depth and focal emphasis of the design, it would more accurately be characterized as a mass flower. Similarly, an allium might be deemed a form flower due to its boldly graphic, round shape. But left long to extend out from an arrangement at the end as an unobstructed stem, line may become its prevailing characteristic as it serves to move the eye from one point to another. Any given flower, therefore, may fall into more than one category o[ flower form, depending on the dominant dimensional fea­ture(s) of its appearance within the composition.

A sense of geometry is useful in describing the form of a flower. In geometric terms, a line has just one dimension, extending from point to point without having any thickness or width. Thus, a line flower is defined as an inflorescence in which linearity is its dominant dimension, providing a distinct pathway for the eye to follow. Examples include liatris, gladiolus, and larkspur. A form flower is one that has a dis­tinctive shape or outline, exhibiting a bold or unique silhouette if its two-dimensional shadow were to be cast upon a wall. Examples of form flowers include bird of para­dise, cattleya orchid, and iris. A mass flower may be described as a closed form, sin­gle-stemmed inflorescence with a solid, three-dimensional head, such as a carnation, rose, or dahlia, which can be used to add visual weight to a design A filler flower is also three-dimensional, but with an open form, and typically has a branched stem that exhibits relatively more negative space among its florets. Filler flowers are usu­ally subordinate to the other, major components of the design and are used to occupy the spaces between them. Examples include babies’ breath, wax flower, and statice.

Given these definitions, a stem of spray chrysanthemums may be used as a filler flower in a large-scale design, but an individual flower cut from the spray could func­tion as a mass flower in a small centerpiece. An open lily blossom at the top of a tri­angular altar arrangement might qualify as a form flower while its unopened bud, at the end of a stem cascading from a bridal bouquet, could function as a line flower. Heather is frequently used as a filler flower, but some forms, such as persoluta, exhibit a linear quality. The definitions of flower forms, then, are flexible and depend greatly on the manner in which the flower is placed and presented in the floral design, and how it relates to the other materials in the composition. The same flower may in fact fall into more than one category within the same arrangement.

The charts that follow the glossary (p. 140-144 in the AIFD Guide to Floral Design) identify several of the most commonly used cut flowers and foliages according to their elemental qualities: line, form, color, texture, size, and fragrance. For ease of understanding, the elements of space and pattern have been combined as “silhouette”. An indication has been made whenever a plant material, according to its usage, may occupy more than one flower form category.