parts+of+a+flower

Look at the diagram of a flower below. Most flowers form as a series of rings. The outer ring is made up of sepals. Sepals are usually green and look like leaves attached to the stem at the base of the flower. The colorful petals make up the next ring. Inside the ring of petals in the center of the flower are the reproductive parts of the plant. The stamens are the male reproductive organs. Notice that each stamen has an anther on its tip. This is where millions of tiny pollen grains are attached. The solid tube called the pistil is the female part of the flower. The pistil contains the ovary and egg/eggs.

The first step of fertilization is pollination. Pollination is the movement of pollen from the anther to the sticky top of the pistil. Birds and insects are responsible for pollinating many flowers. They knock pollen off the anther and onto the pistil. Rain and wind also aid in pollination. A tube grows out of the pollen grain that is stuck to the pistil. Inside the pollen tube is the sperm. The tube grows down into the ovule, which is at the bottom of the pistil and fertilization occurs. The fertilized egg cell begins to divide and form a young organism called an embryo. The ovule grows into a covering that protects what has now become a seed. As this seed forms in the parent plant, the flower changes. The sepals and petals die and fall off. The ovule grows into a seed with a covering such as beans, berries, tomatoes, or the hard shells of nuts. The covering protects the seed/seeds and also helps scatter the seeds for future plants.