The Parts of a Flower

Atole Alien V. BEED 2 – IRR

Partido State University

College of Education

ailenatole@yahoo.com

February 8, 2013

andromeda.cavehill.uwi.edu 

A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.
Max Muller 

Flower

A plant that is cultivated or appreciated for its blossoms.

The seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly coloured corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals).

Peduncle

            The stalk of a flower. 
Receptacle

The part of a flower stalk where the parts of the flower are attached. 
Sepal

The outer parts of the flower (often green and leaf-like) that enclose a developing bud. 
Petal

The parts of a flower that are often conspicuously colored. 
Stamen

The pollen producing part of a flower, usually with a slender filament supporting the  

             anther. 

Anther

The part of the stamen where pollen is produced. 
Pistil

The ovule producing part of a flower. The ovary often supports a long style, topped by a

             stigma. The mature ovary is a fruit, and the mature ovule is a seed. 
Stigma

The part of the pistil where pollen germinates. 
Ovary

 The enlarged basal portion of the pistil where ovules are produced.

Flower Structure and Function

Flowering plants are the dominant type of plants on the earth today (there are about 250000 species). Flowers are therefore the most common plant organs for sexual reproduction.  

Flowers produce gametes (sex cells).

Flowers play a key role in pollination. Pollination is the transfer of pollen (containing the male gametes), from the anther of a flower, to the stigma (receptive surface of the female part of the flower) of the same or a different flower.

The sex of a flower can be described in three ways:

Staminate flowers:  Flowers bearing only male sex parts. These are sometime referred to as "male flowers".

Carpellate\Pistillate Flowers: Flowers bearing only female sex parts. These are sometimes referred to as "female flowers".

Hermaphhrodite\Complete flowers: Flowers bearing both male and female sex parts.

In many cases flowers are borne as a group on a common stalk, called an inflorescence. They are many different types of floral inflorescences. The type of inflorescence present is sometimes used to aid in classifying flowering plants. Below are a number of common floral inflorescences.

http://andromeda.cavehill.uwi.edu/flower_structure_and_function.htm

Fertilization:
           
       Pollen must fertilize an ovule to produce a viable seed. This process is called pollination, and is often aided by animals like bees, which fly from flower to flower collecting sweet nectar. As they visit flowers, they spread pollen around, depositing it on some stigmas. After a male's pollen grains have landed on the stigma during fertilization, pollen tubes develop within the style, burrowing down to the ovary, where the sperm fertilizes an ovum (an egg cell), in the ovule. After fertilization, the ovule develops into a seed in the ovary.

 Flower Types

• Imperfect Flower
  A flower that has either all male parts or all female parts, but not both in the same flower.

Examples: cucumbers, pumpkin, and melons.

• Perfect Flower
  A flower that has both the male parts and female parts in the same flower.

Examples: roses, lilies, and dandelion.

Parts of a Flowering Plant

Flowering plants, also called angiosperms, are the most numerous of all the divisions in the Plant Kingdom. The parts of a flowering plant are characterized by two basic systems: a root system and a shoot system. 

These two systems are connected by vascular tissuethat runs from the root through the shoot. 

The root system enables flowering plants to obtain water and nutrients from the soil. The shoot system allows plants to reproduce and to obtain food through photosynthesis.

Root System

The roots of a flowering plant are very important. They keep the plant anchored in the ground and obtain nutrients and water from the soil. The roots also store food. 

Nutrients and water are absorbed through tiny root hairs that extend from the root system. All roots however, do not originate underground. Some plants have roots that originate above ground from stems or leaves. These roots provide support for the stems.

Shoot System

Flowering plant stems, leaves, and flowers make up the plant shoot system. 

Plant stems provide support for the plant and allow nutrients and water to travel throughout the plant. Within the stem and throughout the plant are tube-like tissues called xylem and phloem. These tissues carry water, food, and nutrients to all parts of the plant.

The leaves are the sites of food production for the flowering plant. It is here that the plant acquires light energy and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and releases oxygen into the air. 

Leaves can have various shapes and forms, but they all basically consist of a blade, veins, and a petiole. The blade is the flat extended part of the leaf. The veins run throughout the blade and provide a transport system for water and nutrients. The petiole is a short stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem. 

Another component of the shoot system of a flowering plant is the flower. The flower is responsible for seed development and reproduction. There are four main flower parts in angiosperms: sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. The stamen is considered the male portion of a plant and the carpel is considered the female portion.

References:

http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts/ident_help/Parts_Plants/parts_of_flower.htm

http://andromeda.cavehill.uwi.edu/flower_structure_and_function.htm

http://www.familymanagement.com/holidays/flowers/flower_anatomy.html

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/flower

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/flower

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/printouts/floweranatomy.shtml

http://www.brainyquote.com/words/fl/flower165648.html