Flower Structure Essay

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Flower structure and variations What is a flower? A flower is a functional unit concerned with sexual reproduction. A flower can be pictured as a very short stem (the receptacle) which holds the components of the flower in sequence. At the very tip of this stem, so they appear in the centre of the flower, are the female organs (the gynoecium). Behind them are the male organs (the androecium), and behind them, on the outside of the flower, are the petals and sepals. Flower structure Kew information sheet B4 Stigma – the receptive part of the female reproductive organs on which pollen germinates. Style – the elongated part of a carpel bearing the stigma, usually at its tip. Ovary – the hollow basal region of a carpel, containing one or more ovules. Ovules – the structures in the chamber of an ovary containing the egg cell, within the embryo sac. The ovule develops into the seed after fertilisation. } } Carpel – one of the flower’s female reproductive organs, comprising a stigma, a style and an ovary. Gynoecium (=pistil) – collective term for all the female reproductive organs of a flower comprising one or more free or fused carpels. Anther – usually bilobed. Contains the pollen. Filament – the stalk } Stamen – the male reproductive organ of a flower consisting of an anther and filament. } Androecium – collective term for all the male reproductive organs of a flower (stamens). Petal – a non-reproductive (sterile) part of the flower, usually brightly coloured. Sepal – a floral leaf or individual segment of the calyx of a flower, generally green, which usually forms the outer protective layer in a bud. } } Corolla – collective term for all the petals of a flower. Calyx – collective term for all the sepals of a flower. } Perianth – the floral envelope, usually divisible into an outer whorl (calyx) of sepals and an

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