Noun
small flower with a flat strap-shaped corolla usually occupying the peripheral rings of a composite flower
Source: WordNetA ligule is the strap-shaped tongue of the corolla of either a ray flower or of a ligulate flower. Source: Internet
Each "petal" consists of a ligule composed of fused petals of an asymmetrical ray flower. Source: Internet
A ray flower is a 3-tipped (3-lobed), strap-shaped, individual flower in the head of some members of the family Asteraceae. Source: Internet
Sometimes a ray flower has 2 tips (or 2-lobes). Source: Internet