Parts of a Flower

But the plant creates its flower for only one reason – to create the seeds needed to grow another plant. Those extra features we admire in flowers are the plants way of attracting pollinators.

All flowers consist of male and female parts. In the world of plants, there are two types of flowers – imperfect flowers and perfect flowers.

An imperfect flower is either all male or all female.

A perfect flower has both male and female parts all wrapped up in one pretty package.

Whether the flower is male or female, there are some basic parts to them.

When the plant is pollinated, the pollen moves from the male parts to the female parts, whether between different plants or within a single one.

Flower Parts

The stamen is the male part of a flower. It is made of a filament, a hair-like stalk, and an anther, which sits on top of the filament. The anther makes and holds the pollen.

The carpel is the female part of a flower. It is made of ovules, which become seeds, the ovary, which holds the seeds and becomes the fruit, the style, a long, tube-like structure coming from the ovary, and the stigma, which sits on top of the style.

The stigma is the bulb-like center of the flower where pollen is taken in by the flower.

Petals are created by the flower to attract pollinators. They contain the flowers colors and scents.

They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors and create the endless forms that we enjoy.

Sepals are the small, green leaf-shaped parts that are directly under the flower. They are created by the plant to protect the flower bud until it opens.

The receptacle is the attachment of the flower to the stalk. It may resemble a cup surrounded by the sepal at the base of the flower.

The stalk supports the flower on the plant, raising it up for access by insects for pollination.

The nectary produces the sweet nectar that draws pollinators to the flower.

We look at the parts of a flower and see a complex design and form. Each variety of flower has its own form to attract birds and insects for the process of pollination and continuing the plant's cycle of life.

More Parts of a Flower