Parts of a Flowering Plant Parts of a Flowering Plant Bambi Golombisky/ E+/ Getty Images Updated January 29, 2016. Parts of a Flowering Plant Plants are eukaryotic organisms that are characterized by their ability to produce their own food. They are vital to all life on earth as they provide oxygen, shelter, clothing, food, and medicine for other living organisms. Plants are very diverse and include organisms such as mosses, vines, trees, bushes, grasses, and ferns. Plants can be vascular or nonvascular, flowering or nonflowering, and seed bearing or non-seed bearing. The information below describe the characteristics and parts of a flowering plant. Angiosperms Flowering plants, also called angiosperms , are the most numerous of all the divisions in the Plant Kingdom . The parts of a flowering plant are characterized by two basic systems: a root system and a shoot system. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States These two systems are connected by vascular tissue that runs from the root through the shoot. The root system enables flowering plants to obtain water and nutrients from the soil. The shoot system allows plants to reproduce and to obtain food through photosynthesis .

Root System The roots of a flowering plant are very important. They keep the plant anchored in the ground and obtain nutrients and water from the soil. The roots also store food. Nutrients and water are absorbed through tiny root hairs that extend from the root system. All roots however, do not originate underground. Some plants have roots that originate above ground from stems or leaves. These roots provide support for the stems. Shoot System Flowering plant stems, leaves, and flowers make up the plant shoot system. Plant stems provide support for the plant and allow nutrients and water to travel throughout the plant. Within the stem and throughout the plant are tube-like tissues called xylem and phloem. These tissues carry water, food, and nutrients to all parts of the plant. The leaves are the sites of food production for the flowering plant. It is here that the plant acquires light energy and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and releases oxygen into the air. Leaves can have various shapes and forms, but they all basically consist of a blade, veins, and a petiole. The blade is the flat extended part of the leaf. The veins run throughout the blade and provide a transport system for water and nutrients.

The petiole is a short stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem. Another component of the shoot system of a flowering plant is the flower. The flower is responsible for seed development and reproduction. There are four main flower parts in angiosperms : sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. The stamen is considered the male portion of a plant and the carpel is considered the female portion. Pollen is produced in the stamen and the female ovary is contained within the plant carpel. Pollen is transferred from stamen to carpel by plant pollinators such as bugs , birds, and mammals . When the ovule (egg cell) within the ovary becomes fertilized, it develops into a seed. The ovary, which surrounds the seed, becomes the fruit. Flowers that contain both stamens and carpels are called perfect flowers. Flowers that are missing either stamens or carpels are called imperfect flowers. If a flower contains all four main parts (sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels), it is called a complete flower. Parts of a Flowering Plant: Summary In summary, angiosperms are differentiated from other plants by their flowers and fruit.

Flowering plants are characterized by a root system and a shoot system. The root system absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. The shoot system is composed of the stem, leaves , and flowers. This system allows the plant to obtain food and to reproduce. Both the root system and shoot system work together to enable flowering plants to survive on land. Parts of a Flowering Plant Quiz Think you know all about the parts of a flowering plant? Take the Parts of a Flowering Plant Quiz and find out how much you really know about angiosperms. science test on parts of the flower - StudyBlue Good to have you back! If you've signed in to StudyBlue with Facebook in the past, please do that again. science test on parts of the flower science test on parts of the flower Jordan T. Size: 24 Views: 14 stamen male organ of the flower that consists of a thin stalk like filament with a terminal sac called the anther Anther The part of a stamen that contains the pollen. Advertisement ) Ovary part of the plant at the base of the pistil that contains the egg.

after fertilization the ovary turns into fruit pistil it is the female part of he flower it consists of the ovary containing the seeds and the stigma pollen the tiny particles the contain male sex cells. pollen develops on the anthers, pollen must be transported to the pistil in another flower sexual reproduction pollen form an anther is transported to the stigma then the pollen grain (male part) forms a tube down to the ovary and the egg and sperm unite to make a baby plant egg potential seeds found within the ovaries of a plant Filament The stalk of a stamen it elevates the anther stigma is the tip of the pistil that is often sticky and receives the pollen grain petal each of the segments of the corolla of a flower, which are modified leaves and are typically colored Outermost, leaf like covering of a flower; usually green. Green, Outermost nectar n. A sweet liquid produced by many flowering plants. It is used by bees to make honey.

pollination the transfer of male pollen grains from the anther in one flower to the stigma on the female pistil in another flower Advertisement process in which male and female reproductive cells join to produce a new cell petal-attract pollinators sepal-close flower and protect it while growing stamen: anther-make sperm, filament-attach anther to plant MALE PARTS carpel: stigma-where pollen grain lands, style and ovary-eggs made FEMALE PARTS Flower-Function Reproduction through pollination, fertilization, fruits, and seeds Flowers can be produced annually, biannually, and every 15-100 years PLANTS: flower parts/function sepal: encloses flower till it opens petal: bright to attract pollinators(wind pollinated flowers lack color) stamen: male organ, has anther where pollen is created and filament to hold anther carpel/pistil: female organ, has sticky stigma at tip to receive pollen and style that leads to ovary at base of carpel Explain Fertilized Ovule A microspore needs to develop into a pollen grain, which is a male gametophyte enclosed within the pollen wall.

The pollen wall containing polymer sporopollenin protecets the the pollen grain during transport. Pollination occurs and if the pollen grain germinates it will begins growing a pollen tube, which discharges sperm into the ovule. methods of pollination animal- bees, bats, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, other more animal than wind or water, mostly bees describe various methods of fruit/seed dispersal: animals, wind, water, explosive fruits, wind -dandelion the ripened ovary of a plant containing the seeds explain why it is important for seeds to get dispersed its important because if the plants didn't get dispersed, then the plants wouldn't be able to make little baby plants. so then all the plants would die and we would have no more plants living because the male part couldn't reach the female part. * The material on this site is created by StudyBlue users. StudyBlue is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the academic institution or instructor. Words From Our Students "StudyBlue is great for studying. I love the study guides, flashcards and quizzes.

So extremely helpful for all of my classes!" Alice , Arizona State University "I'm a student using StudyBlue, and I can 100% say that it helps me so much. Study materials for almost every subject in school are available in StudyBlue. It is so helpful for my education!" Tim , University of Florida "StudyBlue provides way more features than other studying apps, and thus allows me to learn very quickly!??I actually feel much more comfortable taking my exams after I study with this app. It's amazing!" Jennifer , Rutgers University "I love flashcards but carrying around physical flashcards is cumbersome and simply outdated. StudyBlue is exactly what I was looking for!" Justin , LSU Flowering Plants Have Literally Colonized The Continents And Islands Of The Earth Flowering plants (angiosperms) comprise about 90 percent of the Kingdom Plantae. The total number of described species exceeds 250,000, and many tropical species are as yet unnamed. During the past 130 million years, flowering plants have colonized practically every conceivable habitat on earth, from sun-baked deserts and windswept alpine summits to fertile grasslands, freshwater marshes, dense forests and lush mountain meadows.

Although a number of flowering plants live in aquatic habitats and have adapted to the saline conditions of dry lake beds and salt marshes, relatively few species live submersed in the oceans. True marine angiosperms are found throughout the oceans of the world, although most species are distributed in tropical regions. They are sometimes referred to as "seagrasses" and include about 50 species in 12 genera. Virtually all flowering plants produce some type of functional floral organ, although in some families such as the Lemnaceae, the flowers are microscopic and are seldom seen by the casual observer. Certain grasses and specialized cultivars apparently do not produce flowers, although they may still have rudimentary flowers (vestigial floral parts). Seeds & Fruits That Ride Ocean Currents The three largest flowering plant families containing the greatest number of species are the sunflower family (Asteraceae) with about 24,000 species, the orchid family (Orchidaceae) with about 20,000 species, and the legume or pea family (Fabaceae) with 18,000 species. [Judd, W.S. et al.

2008 Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach lists 23,000 for Asteraceae, 19,500 for Orchidaceae and 18,000 for Fabaceae.] The total number of species for these three enormous families alone is approximately 62,000, roughly 25 percent of all the flowering plant species on earth. To put it another way, if you randomly lined up all the species of flowering plants on earth, every fourth one would be an orchid (Orchidaceae), a sunflower (Asteraceae) or a legume (Fabaceae). The state of California (where Wayne's Word is based) includes about 5,000 native and naturalized species, and 41 percent of these species belong to the following six plant families: sunflower family (Asteraceae), grass family (Poaceae), legume family (Fabaceae), snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae), mustard family (Brassicaceae), and sedge family (Cyperaceae).

The following website in collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden gives a complete working list of all known plant species, including angiosperms (352,000), gymnosperms (1000), pteridophytes (13,000) and bryophytes (20,000). In general, some of the totals are higher than other summeries because they have included a large number of "unresolved" species: Compositae (Asteraceae) = 27,773, Orchidaceae = 27,135 and Leguminosae (Fabaceae) = 23,535.

Details Of An Orchid Blossom Some of the largest herbaceous (nonwoody) genera of flowering plants include sedges (Carex: 900), lupines (Lupinus: 300), asters (Aster: 600), onions (Allium: 500), rein orchids (Habenaria: 600), tree orchids (Dendrobium: 900), bulb-leaf orchids (Bulbophyllum: 1000), dancing-lady orchids (Oncidium: 500), indigo (Indigofera: 700), sorrel (Oxalis: 800), geranium (Geranium: 375), nightshade (Solanum: 1400), penstemon (Penstemon: 300), and the amazing locoweeds (Astragalus) with an estimated 2,000 species worldwide.

Photos Of A Cattle-Killing Locoweed Native To California Some of the largest woody plant genera include Acacia (800), Eucalyptus (500), holly (Ilex: 440), Eugenia (600), heather (Erica: 860), passion fruit (Passiflora: 400), sage (Salvia: 800), rattan palm (Calamus: 340), Cassia (500), Croton (1300), Prunus (200), Philodendron (250), Euphorbia (2400), and figs (Ficus: 800-1000). Not only are there at least 800 species of figs in the world, but they all have their own "in house" species of pollinator wasp. Largest Genera Of Flowering Plants With 800 or More Species** FAMILY Stranglers And Banyans: Remarkable Figs Fourteen of the more than 500 species of Eucalyptus in the world: 1. E.

erythrocorys, 2. E. lehmannii, 3. E. caesia, 4. E. ficifolia, 5. E. cosmophylla, 6. E. globulus, 7. E. eremophila, 8. E. citriodora, 9. E. sideroxylon, 10. E. polyanthemos, 11. & 12. E. camaldulensis, 13. E. cladocalyx, 14. E. nicholii, and 15. E. spathulata. The vast majority of Eucalyptus species are native to Australia and Tasmania, and a few species extend north to New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. All of these thousands of flowering plant species were given a scientific binomial by the botanists who named and described them. Scientific names are commonly derived from Greek or Latin and are spelled with the Roman alphabet the same way throughout the world. Therefore, Eschscholzia californica refers to California poppy, regardless of the country or native language.

Scientific binomials consists of a first name or genus followed by a second name or specific epithet. These two names are similar to the given name and surname of humans. In addition, flowering plants often have one or more common (vernacular) names. Common names often commemorate a person, describe an interesting quality of the plant, or describe a location or habitat. These names are relatively easy to remember and pronounce. Sometimes the common names are very strange and make no sense at all. The bisexual spectacular flower of Eucalyptus macrocarpa showing the cap (operculum) that separates to expose a mass of red stamens which surround the female pistil. The majority of flowering plant species have fewer than 20 stamens. See The Top 10 Southern Wildflowers Some flowering plants do not have photosynthetic chlorophyll-bearing (green) leaves and are completely parasitic on the stems and roots of other plants. In order to grow and reproduce, they must absorb their vital carbohydrates (sugars) and amino acids from the host plant. Some of these root and stem parasites include the most bizarre plants on earth. Since they are nonphotosynthetic, they are also called heterotrophic like most animals and humans.

Some heterotrophic plants look more like pale, fleshy fungi than flowering plants. They live in the deep humus of shady forests and include some very strange and colorful species. These "fungus flowers" are referred to as "mycotrophic" (fungus-nutrition) because their carbohydrates and amino acids come from mycorrhizal soil fungi which are in turn attached to the roots of nearby forest trees. Like true parasitic flowering plants, mycotrophic wildflowers must absorb their energy-rich molecules from other host plants, but unlike the direct root and stem parasites, their carbohydrates and amino acids are derived from nearby root systems via a conduit of filamentous soil fungi. Using labeled sugars containing radioactive carbon 14, scientists have shown that carbohydrates synthesized by nearby trees pass into the mycorrhizal soil fungi and eventually into the mycotrophic "fungus flowers." See Bizarre Root Parasites That Live On Sand Dunes But of all the marvelously adapted flowering plants, the carnivorous plants are truly the most amazing. Nitrogen is an essential element for all plants and animals because it is a key component of protein.

It is abundant in the atmosphere and in the decaying organic matter of ponds and bogs where carnivorous plants commonly grow. However, the primary usable forms of nitrogen for plants are nitrates, produced from the decay of organic matter by the action of certain bacteria. Bogs containing carnivorous plants are often too acidic for the nitrate-forming bacteria. Herein lies the adaptive advantage of capturing insects as a supplemental source of usable nitrogen. The ingenious methods by which flowering plants are able to capture and digest small animals, such as insects and crustaceans, is absolutely remarkable. See Carnivorous Plants That Capture And Digest Insects Flowering plants represent an extraordinary diverse group of life forms. Although they all produce flowers and seed-bearing fruits, they come in an astonishing variety of shapes and sizes. Flowering plants range in size from minute wolffia plants (Wolffia globosa) less than a millimeter (1/25th of an inch) long to giant Australian eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus regnans) over 300 feet (100 m) tall.

Although the current record-holder for tallest tree is actually a 379 foot (116 m) conifer called the California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), a fallen Eucalyptus regnans measuring 18 feet (5.4 m) in diameter and 435 feet (133 m) tall was reported from Australia in 1872. According to Stan Kelly (Eucalypts Volume 1, 1977), the tallest E. regnans currently standing is 322 feet (98 m). Bisexual flower showing all 4 characteristic parts which are technically modified leaves: Sepal, petal, stamen & pistil. This flower is referred to as complete (with all 4 parts) and perfect (with "male" stamens and "female" pistil). The ovary ripens into a fruit and the ovules inside develop into seeds. Most flowers contain several to many ovules. Incomplete flowers are lacking one or more of the 4 main parts. Imperfect (unisexual) flowers contain a pistil or stamens, but not both.

Species populations with male and female flowers borne on separate male and female individuals are termed dioecious. Species populations with separate male on female flowers borne on the same individuals are termed monoecious. The common connecting link between all flowering plants is that they produce sexual reproductive organs called flowers. A flower is composed of 4 major parts: petals, sepals, stamens and one or more pistils (see above diagram). The number, shape, size, and arrangement of these floral parts varies considerably with different plant families, and is reflected in the tremendous diversity of flowering plants. According to the foremost authority on angiosperm diversity and phylogeny Dr. R.F. Thorne (The Botanical Review Volume 58: 225-348, 1992), the total number of different flowering plant families is 437. This great number of families is subdivided into 400 subfamilies, 12,650 genera and 233,885 species. For example: The grass family (Poaceae) has 3 stamens and one pistil, but no petals or sepals.

The duckweed family (Lemnaceae) has one stamen and one pistil, and no petals or sepals. The cactus family (Cactaceae) has numerous stamens, one pistil, and numerous petals and sepals. The buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) has many stamens, many pistils, many petals and many sepals. Families with many separate floral parts (such as the Magnoliaceae and Ranunculaceae) are considered more primitive. Families with fewer floral parts which are fused together and irregularly shaped (such as the Orchidaceae) are considered more advanced in the evolution of flowering plants. Flowers without colorful petals and sepals are typically wind-pollinated and do not need showy parts to attract insects. Colorful, insect-pollinated flowers also produce sweet (sugary), fragrant nectar in nectar glands at the base of the blossom, which further entices insects to visit them. See The Primitive Flowers Of The Magnolia Family One of the largest genera of flowering plants is Euphorbia with approximately 2,000 species.

This enormous genus belongs to the very diverse euphorbia family (Euphorbiaceae). The variation within this genus is astonishing, from low-growing garden weeds called spurges to giant, cactus-like succulents that rival in size our North American sahuaro and organ-pipe cacti. South African euphorbias have evolved succulent, spine-covered stems that greatly resemble North American cacti, a biological phenomenon known as convergent evolution. It is difficult to believe that all these diverse forms belong to the same genus as the showy garden euphorbia called poinsettia (E. pulcherrima) until you carefully examine the blossom. The showy, red, modified leaves of poincettia are not petals. In fact, they are not even part of the true flowers. They surround clusters of small, greenish, cup-shaped structures called cyathia. Each cyathium is actually a flower cluster or inflorescence containing unisexual, apetalous male and female flowers. The inconspicuous male flowers occur in clusters and are reduced to a single red stamen, while the female flower consists of a single ovary (pistil) on a stalk (pedicel).

In poinsettia the ovary is hidden within the cyathium, but in other species the ovary protrudes out of the cyathium at maturity. The rim of the cyathium also bears one-several, greenish nectar glands that are attractive to insect pollinators. In some species the glands are subtended by petal-like bracts (petaloid appendages). Poinsettias typically have only one greenish gland per cyathium and no petaloid appendages. This flower plan is quite different from the typical floral diagram above, but it is the basic theme in virtually all members of the amazing genus Euphorbia. It should be noted here that some authorities place the prostrate, herbaceous euphorbias (called spurges) with C-4 photosynthesis in the genus Chamaesyce. Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) in full bloom at Christmas time in southern California. Left: Bright red modified leaves (A) surround a central cluster of greenish-yellow flower clusters called cyathia. Right: Each cup-shaped cyathium (B) contains a cluster of red stamens (D) which are the male flowers.

Inside each cyathium is a hidden female flower (not shown) consisting of a single, minute ovary. The rim of the cyathium bears a greenish-yellow nectar gland (C). Chamaesyce polycarpa, a prostrate, native spurge that grows throughout dry chaparral hillsides in southern California. Left: Overall view of plant showing numerous cup-shaped cyathia. Right: Close-up view of several cyathia showing reddish-purple, oval glands on rim of cyathia, each subtended by a greenish-white petaloid appendage. Male flowers (stamens) are included in the cyathia, while a female flower (ovary) bearing 3 styles protrudes out of each cyathium on a long stalk. Petty spurge (Euphorbia peplus), an erect garden weed in southern California with alternate leaves and milky sap. Originally native to Europe, this prolific seeder has become naturalized throughout North America. The urn-shaped cyathium bears crescent-shaped, 2-horned glands on its rim. There are no petaloid appendages.

Many members of the euphorbia family, including the genus Euphorbia, contain a poisonous milky-latex sap. The toxin is a mixture of diterpene esters, and contact with the skin may cause inflammation and a blistering rash. An Australian company called Peplin Biotech is conducting research on the sap of E. peplus as a simple topical treatment for certain skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. These are the most common human cancers, particularly in people who spend a lot of time outdoors in direct sunlight. For years, people in Australia have used the milky sap of E. peplus to cure cancerous spots on their skin. The fresh sap from E. peplus is applied directly to the cancerous spot. After a few days the area develops into an enlarged, swollen sore, followed by a scab that eventually dries and falls off. According to Peplin Biotech, the sap penetrates the skin and destroys the malignant tissue. This is essentially what happens when a dermatologist applies liquid nitrogen directly to a superficial cancerous growth on the skin. Whether this remarkable discovery is ever patented remains to be seen.

The Manchinnel Tree That Burns The Skin The duckweed family (Lemnaceae) includes the undisputed smallest and fastest reproducing flowering plants in the world. In fact, the genus Wolffia is Mr. Wolffia's (the editor of Wayne's Word) favorite plant group. Imagine flowering wolffia plants (genus Wolffia) that weigh only 150 micrograms (1/190,000 of an ounce), or the approximate weight of two ordinary grains of table salt. Individual wolffia plants are 165,000 times shorter than the tallest Australian eucalyptus tree and 7 trillion times lighter than the most massive giant sequoia tree. They are carried from pond to pond on the feet of water fowl (tucked neatly under the ducks' bodies during flight), and there are records of wolffia plant bodies being carried by a tornado. They have even been reported in the water of melted hailstones. One wolffia plant is small enough to slip through the eye of an ordinary sewing needle, and at least 5,000 plants could be packed into a thimble.

Each plant produces a microscopic flower inside a small cavity that develops on the upper side of the plant body. The minute flower consists of a single pistil and stamen. A bouquet of one dozen plants in full bloom will easily fit on the head of a pin. After pollination the ovary develops into a tiny one-seeded fruit called a utricle, which also holds the record for the world's smallest fruit. Wolffia borealis: Dorsal view of budding flowering plant next to the tip of a sewing needle. The floral cavity contains a single pistil (with a circular, concave stigma) and one stamen. The length of one entire plant is less than one millimeter (1/25th of an inch). Most Valuable Botanical Jewels Although they may not be the most massive and tallest, flowering plants are certainly close rivals for these records with the African baobab (Adansonia digitata), Indian banyan (Ficus bengalensis) and the magnificent Australian Eucalyptus regnans.

In fact, one large baobab can store 25,000 gallons of water weighing 100 tons, and a large Indian banyan has a documented spreading crown covering 4 acres and is supported by 1000 pillar-like prop roots. Alexander the Great reportedly camped with an army of 7,000 soldiers under such a fig tree. A South African baobab tree (Adansonia digitata), one of the most massive flowering plants. The enormous trunk may exceed 100 feet in circumference and store 25,000 gallons of water weighing 100 tons. According to E. Palmer and N. Pitman (Trees of South Africa, 1961), a tree with a volume of 7,500 cubic feet may contain 30,000 gallons of water. This amount of water alone would weigh an astonishing 120 tons. [Photo by Paul Armstrong] Other Wayne's Word and Noteworthy Plants articles about amazing and little-known flowering plants include the following: Seed & Fruit Dispersal By Wind In order for flowering plants to produce seeds, it is necessary for the flowers to be pollinated.

Pollen grains must be transferred from the "male" anthers to the receptive "female" stigma. This can be accomplished on the same plant (self pollination) or may involve two different plants (cross pollination). The agents of pollination can be wind, water, insects, birds, and mammals (rodents, marsupials & bats); although insects are probably responsible for the pollination of most species. Flowers can be unisexual (with either male or female organs) or bisexual (with male stamens and female pistils). Flowering plant species can have separate male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious) or separate male and female individuals within the population (dioecious). Individual flowers can be only a few millimeters across in Wolffia species ( World's Smallest Flower ), or they can be 3 feet (0.9 m) across in Rafflesia arnoldii ( World's Largest Flower ). The variation in flowers is absolutely staggering, and is reflected in the hundreds of different plant families distributed throughout the world.

Central American Swollen Thorn Acacia Protected By Ants Insect pollinated flowers typically have colorful petals, sweet nectar produced in nectar glands, and fragrant aromas; however, this is not always the rule. Some insect flowers emit the putrid aroma of rotting flesh and are appropriately called "carrion flowers." They attract the same insects that visit rotting carcasses to lay their eggs, such as flesh flies, blow flies and various beetles. In this case, the insects are tricked because the flower supplies no rotting flesh for the developing larvae to feed on. Carrion flowers occur in many different and unrelated plant families, including the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae), arum family (Araceae) and the rafflesia family (Rafflesiaceae). They incluse some of the most bizarre bloosoms on earth, inclusing the world's largest flower (Rafflesia arnoldii). See Wayne's Word Article About Stinking Flowers About 90 percent of all flowering plants have bisexual flowers with both male (stamen) and female (pistil) sex organs.

The remaining 10 percent have unisexual male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious species) or male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious species). To insure cross pollination, bisexual flowers may be protogynous (female stigma is receptive before pollen-bearing anther is mature), or protandrous (male anthers release pollen before female stigma is receptive). In these species, pollination is typically accomplished by different plants within the population which have pollen-bearing anthers or receptive stigmas in the correct stage of maturation. Actually plant sex is a lot more complicated than this, and botanists have come up with all sorts of terms to explain the different patterns of sexuality in flowering plant species: gynodioecious: Having bisexual flowers on one plant and female flowers on another. [e.g. Ficus carica, with "male" caprifigs and "female" edible figs.] androdioecious: Having bisexual flowers on one plant and male flowers on another plant. [e.g. Solanum, including certain species of nightshades.] polygamous: Having bisexual and unisexual flowers on the same plant.

Not to be confused with human polygamy, or having two or more wives or husbands at the same time. Note: Sometimes the unisexual flowers may contain the rudimentary parts of the opposite sex. [e.g. Toxicodendron diversilobum, better known as poison oak.] See Plant Sexuality and Political Correctness To really appreciate the role of insects in the pollination of flowers, consider the pollination of red clover (Trifolium pratense) by the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). According to D.J. Borror and D.M. DeLong (An Introduction To The Study Of Insects, 1964), one acre of red clover contains up to 216 million individual flowers, and every one of these must be visited by an insect before it will produce seed. In Ohio, 82 percent of the red clover population are pollinated by honey bees, and the remaining 15 percent are pollinated by bumble bees. The average seed yields of red clover are about 1-1.6 bushels per acre.

With a dense honey bee population in the clover fields, the yield is increased to 8 bushels per acre, and with maximum insect pollination 12 to 20 bushels per acre. In some fruit orchards without honey bees, fruit set occurs in less than one percent of the blossoms. With honey bees, fruit set is increased to 44 percent of the blossoms. This is one of the reasons bee hives are placed in orchards. If the European honey bee colonies are taken over by the Africanized ("killer bee") strain, the consequences to Agriculture could be disastrous, especially if the bees must be exterminated because they are attacking people. In dollars and cents, the roll of honey bees as pollinators is enormous. For example, the average annual crop of clover seed in Ohio (250,000 bushels) will plant approximately 3 million acres in clover. This acreage would yield about 4.5 million tons of hay (worth about $90 million). Because of nitrogen fixation in the root nodules of clover, about 273 million pounds of nitrogen would be added to the soil (worth about $50 million).

Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria In Root Nodules Of Legumes Worker honey bees build elaborate wax honeycombs of hexagonal cells. The cells are used to store honey and for the developing bee larvae. Foraging bees drink flower nectar, filling their special stomachs where the nectar is converted into honey. Upon returning to the hive the sweet fluid (called bee vomit) is regurgitated into the wax cells. If the average distance traveled by a honey bee on a single nectar collecting trip is one mile, one pound of honey represents about 20,000 bee miles. The United States produces about 500 million pounds of honey per year representing 10 trillion honey bee miles. This distance is roughly equivalent to 50,000 round trips to the sun, or 20 million round trips to the moon. See the Wayne's Word Killer Bee Article The most complex and truly extraordinary method of insect pollination occurs in the genus Ficus (figs). Male and female fig wasps are borne inside hollow, fleshy, flower-bearing structures called syconia.

[The syconium is what most people associate with the tasty fruit of a fig, but technically it is not a true fruit.] The syconium is lined on the inside with hundreds of tiny, pollen-bearing male flowers and seed-bearing female flowers, and the wasps develop from eggs laid inside the ovaries of the short-style female flowers (one egg per flower). In about half of the fig species (referred to as monoecious), male flowers and the long and short-style female flowers occur in the same bisexual syconium; but in all other fig species (referred to as dioecious or gynodioecious), the seed-producing, long-style female flowers only occur in unisexual syconia on female trees (with no male flowers). Since wasp eggs are not laid in the long-style flowers, the ovary of this type of flower contains a seed rather than a wasp (assuming it is pollinated). This remarkable floral dimorphism is how the fig tree produces seeds while still maintaining its vital, "in-house" population of symbiotic wasps.

There are approximately 1,000 species of figs, mostly distributed throughout tropical regions of the world, and they all have their own pollinator wasp species that only enters their syconia through a small opening (called an ostiole) to pollinate the female flowers inside. [Some fig species may have two species of symbiotic wasp pollinators.] Without their special symbiotic wasps transferring pollen from one syconium to another, the female flowers inside would not get pollinated and no seeds would be produced (a catastrophe for the fig tree). Biology of Animals & Plants - Angiosperms There is a very good chance that the vast majority of the plants you can see out your window are angiosperms. They have taken over the land since their rise during the Age of Dinosaurs, pushing the other groups to the ecological fringes. Gymnosperm s still have an advantage in systems that are too cold and/or dry (they become more common with higher altitude and higher latitude), or have nutrient-poor soils, and so haven't been completely pushed out of business.

Reproduction in angiosperms follows a course similar to that in conifers , with the gametophytes confined to a periodically-made part on the main sporophyte. These gametophytes are parts of the characteristic feature of the group: flowers. Although some species have separate male and female flowers, most have both male and female gametophytes in each flower. Many angiosperm flowers don't look like what you might expect of a flower - this is discussed below in the section on coevolution . Angiosperms get their name from the fact that the seeds (which are sporophyte embryos packaged with some fuel to sprout with) are produced inside a fruit, a structure used to move seeds away from the parent plant. All angiosperms produce fruit, although some might not be things you would see as fruit: fruits can be built to fly through the air ( maple trees and dandelions make this type), float across the water (coconuts), stick to passers-by ( burrs ), as well as be eaten by animals. Even edible fruit is almost never meant to act as a food source for the seeds inside.

Angiosperms are vascular plants, containing xylem (going up) and phloem (bringing down) in various bundled patterns. They have true roots, for holding the plants firm as well as for taking in water and nutrients; they have true stems, for support and for moving materials up and down; they have leaves, usually flat, for most of their photosynthesis. Leaves , and sometimes stems, have pores called stomates that can be opened or closed. When open, carbon dioxide for photosynthesis enters air spaces inside the leaf through which it gets to photosynthetic cells, but water is also lost (this is the main source of transpiration from angiosperms). By controlling the pores, a plant can get enough carbon dioxide for its needs and minimize its water losses. Clusters of xylem and phloem, plus a reinforcing sheath to help support the leaf, are called veins. Angiosperm stems may be green ( herbaceous ), which are capable of photosynthesis or woody. Green stems have support limits; woody stems , with ring after ring of tightly-packed cells with very rigid cell walls, are present in the large angiosperms, the trees. Gymnosperms also produce trees with ringed stems.

LIFE CYCLE S IN ANGIOSPERMS As was true in the gymnosperms, the "main plants" in angiosperms are sporophytes, while the gametophytes are confined to the flowers, usually male and female together. Male gametophytes are called stamens , female gametophytes are pistils . The pollen from the stamen has to reach the pistil and make a pollen tube to the base of the flower, the ovary, and the ovules, where the egg cells are. Once the egg cells are fertilized, the embryos are sealed up with food in a seed and the ovary is converted into a fruit. The seeds often wait for some environmental cue, such as warmth, moisture, or light periods shifts, before germinating , sprouting. A type of growth hormone known as auxins , which settled to the bottom of the sprouting root and stem as they emerge, have different effects on those parts: auxin-soaked root cells grow more slowly, making the top of the root grow faster and curve the root downward; auxin-soaked stem cells grow faster, curving the stem up.

In a mature plant, auxins migrate away from the sunlit side of the plant - if the light is coming in from the side, the migration causes the stem to curve toward the light as it grows and better orient the leaves to catch light. Plant s produce many different types of hormones that can affect reproduction, overall growth, defenses, fruit ripening, and other features. Production of new cells in plants happens in a type of tissue called the meristem . Meristems can be, and usually are, at the growing tips of the plants, where they are called apical meristems . Most plants add new cells from the tips out, not evenly all over and not from the bottom up - in the other parts of the plant, the cells grow but do not divide. Leaves, branching stems or roots, and flowers all are produced by apical meristems. Some growth may also occur along the sides of the plants, such as is found in the rings of trees - these are called lateral meristems .

These make tree ring patterns in ecosystems with growing seasons, where growth produces big, "light" cells, alternating with seasons of less growth (cold winters or dry periods), which produce smaller, "darker" cells - each light/dark zone is a ring, and the wider, lighter the ring, the better that growth season, leaving a record of year-to-year climate. Flower Parts in multiples of 3 Flower Parts in multiples of 4 or 5 Leaf Veins mostly parallel each other Leaf Veins branch out from a central vein Root Systems mostly branch out equally from base (Fibrous Roots) Root Systems mostly have one major root from which smaller ones grow (Taproot) Stems do not grow in Ring Pattern (never woody) Stems sometimes grow in ring pattern (sometimes woody) Vascular Bundles form ring pattern in roots, scattered in stems Vascular Bundles in middle of root, form ring in stems There are a few other differences between the groups, including subtle differences in pollen, but the listed ones are the best known and easiest to recognize.

There are many exceptions, so usually a combination of traits must be looked at to be sure which group a plant belongs to - and even then, some plants are not so clearly in one group or the other. Vascular bundles are collections of xylem, phloem, and other tissues, laid out in different patterns in the two groups. In woody plants, the outermost rings are the active xylem, with active phloem on the underside of the bark. Peeling a strip of bark from all the way around a tree will cut off the roots' food supply (phloem, remember, carries fuel from photosynthesis down to the lower parts) and eventually kill the tree. COEVOLUTION IN ACTION Since a significant part of any organism's ecosystem is the other organisms it shares that system with, it should come as no surprise that much of evolution is driven by interactions between individuals of different species, sometimes driving long-term relationships between the species. The interactions can be cooperative, as happens in a symbiosis , or more of an ongoing battle, as happens between predator and prey or plant-eater and plant. The evolutionary process where two species adapt to each other over time is called coevolution .

Coevolution is obvious throughout the angiosperms. The most well-known is the use of animals as pollinators , carriers of pollen from the male parts of a flower to the female parts of another flower. These angiosperms have evolved ways to make their flowers stand out in the environment to their pollinators, both visually and with smells, and often present "rewards" such as food to bring pollinators back over and over. The construction of a flower is often a clue to its pollinators. Many flowers without pollinators have no colors or odors, and pollen bearing and catching parts stick out in the air: these are wind-pollinated, common in many grasses. Some flowers are broad, with stumpy parts: these are often pollinated by crawling insects. Some flowers are tall and narrow, with a central platform: these are commonly pollinated by flying insects, who press past the anthers on the way in and pick up pollen, then land on the next flower's pistil, leaving pollen there.

Flowers can give clues about their pollinators: the reason that red flowers rarely use bees (and often use beetles) as pollinators was a clue toward the discovery that bees don't see red as a color (although they can see ultraviolet as a color, and some bee-pollinated flowers are ultraviolet-colored). Fruits also have often evolved to use particular types of animals as seed-carriers, although the relationships are rarely as carrier-specific as those that have developed with pollinators. Other types of coeveolution exist in angiosperms: many defenses, such as thorns and poisons, are set against particular types of enemies. Many of the drugs that humans use recreationally are derived from the poisons plants have developed to fight their insect enemies: the active ingredients in tobacco, cocaine, and marijuana are all neurotoxins, natural equivalents of RaidTM. One of the lesser-known theories about the decline of the dinosaurs hypothesizes that the plants that served as the basis of their food chain adapted defenses against them and effectively put the "out of business." It seems unlikely, especially given that our plant-eating relatives haven't been fought off very well. What Part of the Plant Produces Pollen?

(with Pictures) | eHow What Part of the Plant Produces Pollen?  Email Save Pollen production is a critical part of the plant reproduction process. Pollen is produced in a male flower's stamen, and it is a powder of grains that produces the sperm seeds of plants. The stamen is the male organ of the flower and contains a small stalk called a filament. The pollen is often spread by the wind or by insects when they land on a flower--a process called pollination. Pollen will often stick to an insect such as a honey bee, which aids in transferring the pollen to a female flower's pistil. (Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images) Pollen production is helpful for bees, which rely on pollen as a source of protein. Also, for people with allergies, pollen production and dispersal can manifest itself in the watery eyes and runny noses associated with hay fever. revetina01/iStock/Getty Images Identifying pollen is difficult without a magnifying glass because of the small size. Pollen is shaped differently depending on the type of plant from which the pollen originates.

For example, the pollen produced by Entomophilous plants is a sticky, protein-rich pollen attractive to bees--it is designed to aid the pollination process. Capstoc/iStock/Getty Images There are two distinct walls in the outer layer of pollen grains. The outer wall consists of a resistant layer called the exine. The exine maintains its form while the pollen travels from one flower to the next. The inner wall is called the intine and is made of cellulose similar to a plant cell wall. kellingo/iStock/Getty Images The location of pollen production is dependent on the type of flower producing the pollen. Pollen is produced in the anther of an angiosperm flower, the male cone of a coniferous flower or often in the male cone of other seed plants. Some plants contain both male and female reproductive cells and can self-pollinate. These are called perfect flowers. Dookfish/iStock/Getty Images Researchers are examining threats to bees and other pollinators, which could affect a plant's ability to reproduce. Scientists in some regions of the globe have noted a decrease in the number of honeybees, which could influence the numbers and diversity of plants in a region.

According to a report by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, the estimated benefit to Americans by pollinators is approximately $14.6 billion each year. tetmc/iStock/Getty Images Plants Worksheets Plants Worksheets Life Cycle of Flowering Plants Complete the puzzle. down 1. A name given to a plant when it is in the very early stages of growth after it has germinated. down 2. Tiny grains that are produced in the stamen part of flowering and cone-bearing plants. down 3. This occurs when birds, insects, or the wind carries pollen from one plant to another plant. down 6. The deposit or transfer of pollen from the stamen to the stigma of flowering and cone-bearing plants. down 7. A sweet liquid in some flowers that sticks to bees and birds to facilitate cross-pollination. down 8. Plants, such as trees, bushes, and many flowers, that live for at least three seasons. down 9. One of the needs for a seed to germinate. Rain provides plants with this need. down 12. One of the needs for a seed to germinate. The environment and weather will provide the seed with this need. down 15.

One of the needs for a seed to germinate. This need provides the seed with carbon dioxide. across 1. These are what are formed inside of a flower or fruit of a plant after the plant has been pollinated. across 4. This occurs when pollen is transferred from one part of a plant to another part of the same plant. across 5. Flowering plants that take two years to complete their life cycle. They grow and store food during the first year. In the second year, they bloom and produce seeds. across 10. This is what happens after a seed has met its three needs and it begins to break open. Usually this will occur in the spring. across 11. The withering of a plant and production of seeds after the plant has been pollinated. (2 words) across 13. Flowering plants that live and die within a single year. across 14.

Question: In flowering plants, what name is given to the terminal part of a stamen, where pollen is produced?
Answer: THE ANTHER