Inside a Flower

Day 7

Inside a Flower

There are many types of flowers. Some are colorful, some are plain. Some are big enough to sit in. Other are so small they're hard to see. They have different shapes, different shapes, different patterns and they live in different places.

So here a question: What do flowers have in common?

What parts make up a flower and what are they for?

 

Let's start with sepals. Sepals are found where the flower attaches to the stem. They are usually green and look a lot like leaves - but not always. Sepals are important because they protect the young flower before it opens.

Next are the pedals. Pedals are often thin and flat like leaves. Unlike leaves, however, most pedals are not green. The colors ad patterns on pedals can help animals spot the flower and find its nectar.

Flowers have special structures for reproduction. Many plants have all of the structures in all of their flowers, but some do not. The anther makes pollen. Pollen grains are very small, like dust.

The stigma is usually found someplace in the flower likely to get pollen. If pollen from the same kind of flower ends up on a stigma, a pollen tube forms.

The pollen tube grows from the stigma through the style to the ovary. ON this flower, it's a long trip! The ovary is a safe, protected place for a seed to form.

IN the ovary, there is at least one ovule with an egg. The sperm moves down the pollen tube. When the sperm joins with the egg, a seed begins to form. IN a single ovary, multiple seed may form. As the seeds grow, the ovary grows also. It become the fruit and protects the seed.