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FLOWER STRUCTURE
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in plants that
are floral also called angiosperms. The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually
by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs. Flowers may facilitate outcrossing (fusion of
sperm and eggs from different individuals in a population) or allow selfing (fusion of sperm and egg from
the same flower . Flowers contain sporangia and are the site where gametophytes develop. Many flowers
have evolved to be attractive to animals, so as to cause them to be vectors for the transfer of pollen. After
fertilisation, the ovary of the flower develops into fruit containing seeds.
Floral parts
The essential parts of a flower can be considered in two parts: the vegetative part, consisting of petals and
associated structures in the perianth, and the reproductive or sexual parts. A stereotypical flower consists
of four kinds of structures attached to the tip of a short stalk. Each of these kinds of parts is arranged in
a whorl on the receptacle. The four main whorls (starting from the base of the flower or lowest node and
working upwards) are as follows:
Perianth
Collectively the calyx and corolla form the perianth
Calyx: the outermost whorl consisting of units called sepals; these are typically green and enclose the rest
of the flower in the bud stage, however, they can be absent or prominent and petal-like in some species.

• Corolla: the next whorl toward the apex, composed of units called petals, which are typically thin,
soft and coloured to attract animals that help the process of pollination.
Reproductive
Androecium : the next whorl (sometimes multiplied into several whorls), consisting of units
called stamens. Stamens consist of two parts: a stalk called a filament, topped by
an anther where pollen is produced by meiosis and eventually dispersed.

• Gynoecium : the innermost whorl of a flower, consisting of one or more units called carpels.
The carpel or multiple fused carpels form a hollow structure called an ovary, which produces ovules
internally. Ovules are megasporangia and they in turn produce megaspores by meiosis which develop
into female gametophytes. These give rise to egg cells. The carpel consists of an ovary, style and
stigma. The sticky tip of the carpel, the stigma, is the receptor of pollen. The supportive stalk, the
style, becomes the pathway for pollen tubes to grow from pollen grains adhering to the stigma.
• The relationship to the gynoecium on the receptacle is described as hypogynous (beneath a superior
ovary), perigynous (surrounding a superior ovary), or epigynous (above inferior ovary).
Many flowers have a symmetry. When the perianth is bisected through the central axis from any point,
symmetrical halves are produced, forming a radial symmetry. These flowers are also known to be
actinomorphic or regular. When flowers are bisected and produce only one line that produces
symmetrical halves the flower is said to be irregular or zygomorphic
Flowers may be directly attached to the plant at their base (sessile—the supporting stalk or stem is highly
reduced or absent). The stem or stalk subtending a flower is called a peduncle. If a peduncle supports
more than one flower, the stems connecting each flower to the main axis are called pedicels. The apex of
a flowering stem forms a terminal swelling which is called the receptacle.
Inflorescence

In those species that have more than one flower on an axis, the collective cluster of flowers is termed
an inflorescence. Some inflorescences are composed of many small flowers arranged in a formation that
resembles a single flower. A single daisy or sunflower, for example, is not a flower but a flower head—an
inflorescence composed of numerous flowers (or florets). An inflorescence may include specialised stems
and modified leaves known as bracts.
Floral diagrams and floral formulae
A floral formula is a way to represent the structure of a flower using specific letters, numbers and
symbols.
The structure of a flower can also be expressed by the means of floral diagrams. The use of schematic
diagrams can replace long descriptions or complicated drawings as a tool for understanding floral
structure . Such diagrams may show important features of flowers, including the relative positions of the
various organs, including the presence of fusion and symmetry, as well as structural details.
DIFFERENCES- WIND AND INSECT POLLINATED FLOWERS
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ANTHER STRUCTURE

WIND POLLINATED FLOWER STRUCTURE

(less phenotypic variation) (greater phenotypic

(may be wiped out by single (less likely to be wiped out by single disease)
disease )
. less likely that evolution/natural selection evolution/natural selection more likely
will occur to occur
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