Not a gimmick. At first light, a blackberry lily bud loosens into a six-lobed flare, yet the eye reads three parts because two tepal whorls obey a monocot blueprint. It looks improvised. Its geometry is not; it was set while the flower was still a compact bud.The real trick is developmental, not decorative. Floral merosity gives the species recurring units of three: three outer tepals, three inner...More