Leave your notebooks – it'due south time for a lesson in flower beefcake! Near of us know almost petals and stems, but for you lot with curious minds, here's a more thorough rundown of what makes a flower a flower.

Petal

Petals are what give a blossom its unique shape, and are often brightly colored to attract insects and critters, which unwittingly aid in the fertilization of ovules through pollination.

Sepal

These are the pocket-sized, leaf-similar parts growing at the base of operations of the petals. They serve to protect the flower earlier it blossoms.

Peduncle

This refers to the stem or stalk of a flower.

Receptacle

This is the thickened part at the bottom of the flower which holds its major organs.

Pistil

This is the female person organ of the flower. It consists of iv major parts:

  1. Stigma – The caput of the pistil. The stigma receives pollen, which will brainstorm the process of fertilization.
  2. Manner – This is the proper noun for the stem of the pistil. When pollen reaches the stigma, it begins to grow a tube through the fashion called a pollen tube, which will eventually reach the ovary. The style, therefore, acts as a buffer against pollen contagion, since just compatible pollen is able to grow a pollen tube.
  3. Ovary – The base of the pistil. This organ holds the ovules awaiting fertilization.
  4. Ovules – These are the blossom's eggs, located within the ovary. Upon fertilization by pollen, they will eventually abound into a seed. In fruit plants, pollen will not only spark the growth of a seed, but a surrounding fruit as well.

Stamen

This is the male organ of the flower, consisting of two major parts:

  1. Anther – The head of the stamen. The anther is responsible for the production of pollen, which will hopefully exist transported to the pistil by animals or insects, such as bees. This is a crucial part of the reproduction of the establish.
  2. Filament – This is the stalk that holds the anther and attaches it to the bloom.

Making More Flowers

It'due south amazing for nature to provide a flower with the ability to reproduce without the need for a mate, but not all of them do!

Some flowers have only male or female organs, and require a split up flower of the opposite gender to reproduce. We phone call these Imperfect Flowers. Perfect Flowers, on the other hand, have both a stamen and a pistil, and are able to reproduce on their own.