The Roles of Flower Reproduction

The role of a flower during its life-cycle is to reproduce. The bright colors and scents of a flower are important for a pollination and reproduction. Birds, bats and wind are also important factors for the process of pollination. A flower contains four important parts that are necessary to enable a successful reproduction process.

Role of the Petals:

The colorful and bold petals of a flower attract insects or birds to pollinate the flower. Perfume and nectar glands are located inside the petals. The petals are also known as corolla. The number of petals on a flower is used to identify a plant family or its genera.

Sepals:

The green petal-like sepals are located on the underside of the flower and act as a protective layer for the flower during the times it is closed. The sepals are also known as calyx.

Role of the Stamen (Male Reproductive part)

The stamen is a male reproductive part of a flower. The yellow anther (pollen sac) and filament is located inside the stamen. The filament supports and holds up the anther so that wind, bugs, birds or bats will carry away the pollen. Pollination occurs when the pollen is transferred from the anther to the stigma. The chemical inside of the stigma then stimulates the pollen and grows a long tube like structure inside of the style that leads to the ovary and ovules. Once the sperm is released from a pollen grain, fertilization happens within the plant. When fertilization is complete, the ovule creates a seed.

Pistil (Female Reproductive part)

The pistil is the female part of a flower. The female reproductive parts such as the stigma, style and ovary are located inside the pistil. The tube shaped style supports the sticky-surfaced stigma where pollination occurs. The pedicel, located at the base, connects the flower to the stem and acts as its support system. After pollination, the pollen is transferred to the ovary where fertilization begins. Once fertilization has occurred, the pollen moves to the ovule, where an embryo will develop into a seed. The ovary then develops into the fruit.

Incomplete and Complete Flowers

Flowers that hold the stamen, pistils, petals and sepals are known as a complete flower. For flowers that do not contain all of the necessary reproduction parts, they are called an incomplete flower.

Without all of these important reproduction parts and their roles, a flower would be unable to reproduce fruit and more of its species. A flower lives and thrives to reproduce which allows us to have the necessary fruits and vegetables for life. Flowers also may provide food for other animal or insect species as well. While providing us nutrition for life, flowers also make our earth's environment a beautiful place with their bright colorful petals and inviting fragrances.

resources:

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/flowers.html

http://courses.washington.edu/bot113/spring/WebReadings/PdfReadings/PLANT_REPRODUCTIVET_SYSTEMS.pd

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/case4/c4facts1a.htm