The Basic Parts of a Flower
A flower is made up of many different parts . The sepal and petals are usually easy to see . The petals are the colorful , often bright , part of the flower . Colorful petals attract pollinators and are usually the reason why we buy and enjoy flowers . The sepals look like little green leaves growing at the base of the petals . The sepals enclose and protect the developing flower bud before it opens up into a fully developed flower . Flowers contain the reproductive system of the plant , and some of the most important parts of a flower are the male and female parts that carry the traits the parent plant will pass on to its offspring .
The male part of the flower is called the stamen . The stamen is the pollen producing part of the plant , and it is made up of two parts : the anther and filament . The filament is the stalk that holds the anther and attaches it to the flower . The anther produces and holds the pollen , which will hopefully be transported to the female part of the flower by wind , animals , or insects .
Activity : Using the glossary of flower parts below , label the parts of the flower on this page . Petals -- the colorful , thin structures that surround the pollination parts of the flower
Sepal -- commonly green , leaflike structures that protect the bud prior to opening
Anther -- the bright sac that produces and contains the pollen grains
Stigma -- sticky surface where the pollen lands and eventually travels down toward the ovary
Filament -- the stalk that supports the anther
Pollen grains -- the powdery particles that contain the male portions of the flower ; also a nutritious , protein-rich food for bees
Style -- the narrow region of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
Ovary -- the base of the female portion of the flower containing the seeds
The female part of the flower is called the pistil , and it is made up of the stigma , style , and ovary . The stigma is the head of the pistil ; it often looks like a sticky bulb on a long stalk in the center of a flower . The stigma receives the pollen grains . The style is the stalk that the stigma sits on top of , and the ovary is usually at the base of the style .
When a plant is pollinated , the pollen that has landed on the stigma grows a tube that reaches down through the style to the ovary . If pollen from an incompatible plant of a different species lands on the stigma , it won ’ t grow a pollen tube . When the pollen tube reaches the ovary , the ovules inside the ovary can be fertilized by the pollen . Then the ovules become seeds , and the ovary swells . Seeds can be sown to grow new plants , and they can also be important food sources . We eat the seeds of wheat , corn , beans , and many other plants . We also eat many fruits , which are enlarged ovaries that contain the seeds of the plant .
Some flowers are perfect , meaning they have both male part and female parts in the same flower . Roses , lilies , and dandelions have perfect flowers . Other flowers are imperfect , meaning each flower has either all male parts or all female parts . Cucumbers , pumpkins , and melons have imperfect flowers .
2 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom Source : Flower Power ( https :// www . agclassroom . org / matrix / lesson / 223 /)