Federal University Wukari,

Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences,

Department of Biological Sciences.
BIO 102 Lecture Notes

Reproduction in Plants: Flower, Concepts, General Structure/Morphology

Parts of a flower
The different parts of a flower are mentioned below:

Vegetative Parts of a Flower

The vegetative part of a flower consists of the following:

• Petals: This is a bright-coloured part that attracts bees, insects, and birds. Colour of petals
varies from plant to plant; some are bright while some are pale coloured. Thus, petals help us to
differentiate one flower from another.

• Sepals: Sepal is the green-coloured part beneath the petals to protect rising buds. Some flowers
have fused petals-sepals while a few have separated petals-sepals.

Reproductive Parts of a Flower

The reproductive parts of a flower consist of the following:

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 • Stamen: This is the male reproductive organ and is also known as Androecium. It consists of
two parts namely: anther and filaments.

1. The anther is a sac-like structure, involved in producing and storing the pollens.
2. The filament is a slender, threadlike structure, which functions by supporting the anther.

• Pistil: This is the innermost part and the female reproductive organ of a flower which
comprises three parts -stigma, style and ovary. This is collectively known as the pistil.

1. Stigma: It is the topmost part or receptive tip of carpels in the gynoecium of a flower.
2. Style: It is the long tube-like slender stalk that connects stigma and the ovary.
3. Ovary: It is the ductless reproductive gland that holds the ovules. It is the part of the plant
where the seed formation takes place.

NB: In different plants, the number of petals, sepals, stamens and pistils can vary. The presence of
these parts differentiates the flower into complete or incomplete. A flower may have only female
parts, only male parts, or both.

Whorls
Along with the vegetative and reproductive parts, a flower is also composed of four whorls, which are
largely responsible for the radial arrangement of a flower. A typical flower has a circular section with a
common centre, which can be clearly observed and distinguished from the top of the flower. There
are four whorls:
Calyx
The calyx is the outermost whorl of a flower. It comprises sepals, tiny leaves present at the base of a
flower. These protect the flower whorls against mechanical injuries and desiccation. Some plants
have coloured sepals the calyx and are called petaloid.
If the sepals are free the calyx is called polysepalous, and if they are united/fused it is
called gamosepalous.
In many flowers, the sepals fall off before the flower even opens fully. Such sepals are known
as caducous.
In some, the sepals fall off after fertilization. Such sepals are known as deciduous.
The persistent sepals remain up to the fruiting stage.

Corolla
This is the second whorl of a flower. It contains petals which serve two main functions:

• To attract pollinators.
• To protect the reproductive parts of a flower – stamen and/or carpel found within.

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Petals are brightly coloured (due to the presence of water-soluble anthocyanin [red, orange, violet,
blue etc.] and anthoxanthin [yellow to ivory white] pigments or the carotenoids found in the
chromoplast), and scented to attract animals and insects for pollination. The calyx and corolla are
collectively called the perianth.

Different forms of the corolla are found in the flowers.

• Polypetalous Regular
• Polypetalous Irregular
• Gamopetalous Regular
• Gamopetalous Irregular

Stamens
Stamen is also known as the third whorl of the flower and is the male reproductive part. It consists of
a filament which is a thread-like structure with a circular structure anther on the top. Pollen is
produced by the anther which contributes to the male reproductive process of the plant. All the
stamens do not bear fertile anthers.
Carpels The carpel is the fourth whorl of the flower present in the centre. The carpels contain the
pistil, the female reproductive part of the flower. It comprises the ovary, style, and stigma. The egg or
the ovule is present in the ovary. After fertilization, the ovary turns into the fruit to keep the seed. At
the top of the ovary is a vertical structure called style that supports the stigma. The dispersed pollens
stick to the stigma and travel down to the ovary through the style.

Pollination and Fertilization in Plant Reproduction

The transfer of pollen grains from the anther of one flower to the stigma of the same or another flower is
known as pollination. It can be caused by insects, birds, wind, water and animals including man. These
are together called as pollinating agents.

Types of Pollination

• Self-Pollination: Self-Pollination is when the pollen of one flower transfers to the stigma of the
same flower. Many flowers that are hermaphrodite see this kind of pollination. However, there are
many advantages and disadvantages of this type of pollination. Many flowers have various
mechanisms to prevent self-pollination or promote cross-pollination.
• Cross-Pollination: Cross-Pollination is when the pollen of one flower transfers to the stigma of
another flower. This type of pollination helps brings about genetic variation in the species and allow
the plant to withstand changes in the environment better. Once the pollen has landed on the stigma
of a flower, the pollen tube develops to transfer the pollen to the ovules which contain the female
gamete.
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Microsporogenesis results in the formation of Male Gametes and Megasporogenesis results in the
formation of Female Gametes.

Microsporogenesis

• The anthers contain the pollen mother cell (2n-diploid) that undergoes meiosis to form
microspores.
• Tetrad is the result of the microspore mother cell diving and the formation of 4 microspores.
• The Anther releases the microspores/pollen grains when it is mature.
Megasporogenesis
Megasporangium are the Ovules. They are in the ovary and contain the female gametes.
Megasporogenesis is the formation of megaspores from the megaspore mother cell (diploid). The resultant
of the meiosis fo the megaspore mother cell is 4 haploid megaspores. Of the four cells that form, only one
is functional while the other degenerate.

Double Fertilization

This happens in angiosperms. This is because the male gamete that enters the ovule has two nuclei. One of
the male gametes fuses with the female gamete to form a diploid zygote whereas the other one forms a
triploid endosperm by fusing with the diploid polar nuclei. The zygote divides to form the future plant
whereas the endosperm provides nutrition to the developing embryo.

Events after Fertilization in Plant Reproduction

After fertilization, the ovary becomes the fruit and the ovules become the seeds. The other structures like
the calyx, corolla and the remaining parts of the androecium and gynoecium degenerate or fall off.