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At one point we drove to an alpine meadow strewn with the white discs of morning glory and bordered by ponderosa pines.

I wonder which of the following the "disc" means here :

  1. round area

  2. the central part of the flower head of a typical composite made up of closely packed tubular flowers

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    You might have to do some research. There are species of morning glory with white flowers, and others with white centres and coloured outsides. But morning glories do not have composite flower heads. Maybe it is a species with all white flowers - what types grow in the area where the story takes place? Also, is there a botany Stack Exchange board?
    – Stuart F
    Commented Sep 18, 2023 at 9:43
  • 3
    @StuartF - There are a number of white Morning Glory varieties, and I can accept 'discs' being used loosely to mean 'roundish flowers'.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Sep 18, 2023 at 10:57
  • @StuartF Thank you very much.
    – qna
    Commented Sep 18, 2023 at 11:52
  • @MichaelHarvey Thank you very much.
    – qna
    Commented Sep 18, 2023 at 11:53

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The second meaning of "disk" appears fairly technical - not all dictionaries list it, and as Stuart F notes it wouldn't apply to morning glory flowers anyway.

I can't read the article, but from the title and being in NYT it seems to be a rather casual reportage. As such, I'd understand the discs as referring to the flowers being overall round in shape - cf. the green triangles of spruce trees.

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  • Thank you very much.
    – qna
    Commented Sep 18, 2023 at 11:52

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