Understanding Flower Anatomy

R OSES are red. Violets are blue. Study flowers to

get a clue. Okay, the poetry might be
lacking, but flowers really are fascinating. We
encounter them everywhere. Many of them are
beautiful. Yet, you must look closely to
appreciate their purpose fully.

Objective:

þ Examine flowers—their parts and types.

Key Terms:

Ñ anther
calyx
incomplete flower
ovary
pollination
sepals
complete flower perfect flower stamen
corolla petals staminate
fertilization pistil stigma
filament pistillate style
imperfect flower pollen

Flowers
Flowers are the reproductive organs of angiosperms. They make it possible for a plant to
reproduce sexually. Although we use flowers for many purposes, both aesthetic and practical,
their real job is plant reproduction.

PARTS OF A FLOWER
Flowers are made of many intricate and important parts. The parts take on different appear-
ances from one species to another.

E-unit: Understanding Flower Anatomy

Page 1 u AgEdLibrary.com
Copyright © by CAERT, Inc. — Reproduction by subscription only. 030010
 Petal

Anther
Stamen
Filament

Stigma
Style Sepal
Pistil

Receptacle
Ovary
Pedicel

FIGURE 1. Major parts of a flower.

The male part of a flower is called the stamen. The stamen is made of the stalk-like fila-
ment, which holds up the sack-like anther. The anther produces pollen, the grain released
by flowers that contains the sperm. Flowers that have only male parts are called staminate.
The female part of a flower is called the pistil. The pistil has a sticky tissue at its end called
the stigma that is receptive to pollen. Below the stigma are a rod-shaped middle part called
the style and a swollen base containing eggs called the ovary. Flowers that have only female
parts are called pistillate.
A flower usually also has parts that are neither male nor female. These are the petals, often
colorful leaflike structures that attract animals and insects. When all the petals are fused
together, the structure is called a corolla. Beneath the petals are more leaflike structures called
sepals. Regularly green, the sepals support the petals and protect the flower before it opens.
When all the sepals are fused together, the structure is referred to as a calyx.

POLLINATION AND
FERTILIZATION
The first step in sexual repro-
duction is for the stamen to
release its pollen. The pollen is
carried by animal, wind, gravity,
or other method to the stigma of
another flower. Pollination
occurs when the pollen from one
flower lands on the stigma of a
compatible flower.
FIGURE 2. Bees and other insects can carry pollen to the stigma of another
flower.

E-unit: Understanding Flower Anatomy

Page 2 u AgEdLibrary.com
Copyright © by CAERT, Inc. — Reproduction by subscription only. 030010
 Once the pollen reaches the stigma, it starts to grow a
Pollen grain
pollen tube down through the style. When it reaches the
ovary, it deposits sperm. The sperm combines with the Stigma
eggs in the ovary in a process called fertilization. After
the eggs have been fertilized, the ovary and its surround-
ing tissue start to enlarge to become a fruit, and the fer- Pollen tube
tilized eggs become seeds.

TYPES OF FLOWERS
Flowers come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Ovary
Some species have flowers with all the floral parts,
whereas others lack certain parts. Ovule
A flower that has both male and female parts is called
a perfect flower. Most flowers contain both male and
female parts. A flower that is missing either male or
female parts is called an imperfect flower.
FIGURE 3. A pollen grain lands on the stigma
If a flower has sepals, petals, and grows a pollen tube toward the ovule.
pistils, and stamens, it is a com-
plete flower. If a flower is miss-
ing one of those, it is an incom-
plete flower. Imperfect flowers
are always incomplete. Incom-
plete flowers may or may not be
imperfect.
A good way to tell the differ-
ence between monocot and dicot
plants is to look closely at the
flowers. Monocots have flowers
with flower parts in multiples of
three. Dicots have flowers with
flower parts in multiples of four
or five. FIGURE 4. An apple tree has perfect, complete flowers.

Summary:

2 Flowers are the reproductive organs of angiosperms. The stamen consists of the fil-
ament and the anther. The anther produces pollen. The pistil is made up of the
stigma, the style, and the ovary. Flowers may also have petals and sepals.

E-unit: Understanding Flower Anatomy

Page 3 u AgEdLibrary.com
Copyright © by CAERT, Inc. — Reproduction by subscription only. 030010
 The stamen releases its pollen. When the pollen lands on the stigma of a compatible
flower, pollination occurs. Fertilization takes places when the sperm from the pol-
len combines with the eggs in the ovary.

A flower that has both male and female parts is a perfect flower. A flower that is
missing either male or female parts is an imperfect flower. If a flower has sepals,
petals, pistils, and stamens, we call it a complete flower. If a flower is missing one of
those, we call it an incomplete flower. Monocot flowers have floral parts in multi-
ples of three. Dicot flowers have floral parts in multiples of four or five.

Checking Your Knowledge:

´ 1. What are the major parts of a flower?

2. What defines pollination and fertilization?
3. What are perfect and imperfect flowers?
4. What are complete and incomplete flowers?
5. How do monocot and dicot flowers differ?

Expanding Your Knowledge:

L Obtain flowers from different plants. Using forceps and a scalpel, carefully dissect
the flowers. Identify and count the floral parts. Use a magnifying lens or micro-
scope to get a closer look at the structures.

Web Links:

: Flowers
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/botany/flowers.html#figure19
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e02/02d.htm

The Basics of Flowers

http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/Biology/botf99/flowernew/flowerstructure.htm

E-unit: Understanding Flower Anatomy

Page 4 u AgEdLibrary.com
Copyright © by CAERT, Inc. — Reproduction by subscription only. 030010