Tepal

A magnolia flower showing the petal-like white tepals

In a general sense, a tepal is any member or segment of the perianth of a flower, such as a petal or sepal, usually used when all are of similar shape and color (that is, undifferentiated).

More specifically, a tepal is a floral part of plants in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae and a number of other primitive flowering plants such as the Amborellaceae. It corresponds to the sepals and petals in the flowers of other plants, but unlike these, all tepals are of the same form, not being differentiated into the protective, not insect-attracting sepals that serve to protect the developing bud, and larger, insect-attracting petals.