We find them in gardens, painted on pictures, stamping fabrics, as accessories, as decoration; in short, flowers are part of our lives.
Some may be more beautiful and delicate than others, but each has its own appeal and charm. There are a large number of varieties and shapes, as well as colors.
Flowers are part of plants, living beings that are part of nature with great importance in the environment and in the production of oxygen. Not all flowers have the same main parts, some are not complete, some have only some parts, and others have all of them completely. However, those parts have the same functions. Some flowers can have one sex and others another. The flowers as part of a plant develop the reproductive function, that is, the manufacture of seeds.
Next we are going to talk about what the parts of a flower are, so that you know what each thing is and each part that forms a beautiful structure.
There are four basic parts into which to divide a flower: the periapt, the androecium, the gynoecium, and the floral axis.
The flower axis
The floral axis is the part that supports the parts of a flower. And it is made up of the peduncle, which is the elongated, green and thin part that connects with the twigs, and the thalamus, which are the floral parts that protect the ovules from the attack and rubbing of animals and the weather.
The periapt
On the other hand we find the periapt, which is the part that includes the non-reproductive part of the flower and groups different parts of the flower:
The corolla: which are the petals which have different shapes, textures and colors and whose function is to attract animals that can transport pollen. They work as a bait to attract flying animals and for them to transport the pollen that sticks to their legs. This is the most striking part and the one that makes us opt for one flower or another depending on how much we like its petals. That characteristic color is given by some pigments that flowers have dissolved in the cytoplasm; some are pelargonidine (which gives the red color), cyaniding (which gives the violet color), flavones (yellow color) and delphinine (which give the color blue).
As a matter of interest, the floral pieces are the ones that absorb the greatest amount of ultraviolet light from the plant, leaving behind the leaves.
The calyx: the calyx is the green formation of the flower; they are like green petals located at the base of the flower, and it are stronger and more resistant than the petals. It is made up of structures called sepals. Sometimes the sepals have the same color as the petals, in this case they would stop being called sepals and would be called teals.
The sepals can be separated, called dial sepals, for example in the case of roses, and if they cannot be very close and attached to each other, with the name gamosépalous, in the case of peas.
They can also have a regular shape if all the sepals are the same. If, on the contrary, they differ, they will be irregular. Roses are examples of regular sepals, and the queen’s wad is an example of irregular ones.
The calyx protects the inner floral cycles from the weather, animals, etc. so that they are not damaged.
Reproductive parts
Flowers can have a male part (the androecium), a female part (the gynoecium), or both.
The androecium:
The androecium is the male part of the flower, and it contains the male reproductive system, called the stamen, which in turn has two parts.
The stamen is some small leaves that have changed their shape in order to hold the pollen. It is composed in turn of two different parts: the filament and the anther. It is the male organ of the flower.
- The filament is a kind of fusiform, cylindrical and flexible stem that emerges from the center of the flower and that at its end carries a ground ball, as if it were a bag, orange-yellow in color.
- The anther is that yellow-orange ball at the end of the filament, and that is precisely where the pollen grains are found. These pellets are called pollen sacs. It is the most important part of the stamen, since the pollen is the male gamete.
The gynoecium or pistil
The gynoecium or pistil on the other hand is the female part of the flower, the female organ, and is located in the center of the flower. It is composed of more parts than the androecium. The four parts of the gynoecium are: the carpel, the stigma, the style, and the ovary.
The carpel: The carpel is the reproductive organ of the flower. It is also a sheet that has been transformed to perform this function. It’s green. The carpels can be united so that they end up forming a single pistil, or they can be separated, in which case there will be several pistils. The carpel is made up of the following parts:
The stigma: the stigma is the protruding part of the carpel located in the highest part, and which has the function of collecting pollen, as if it were a container. It is a bit sticky since it secretes sugary liquids, in this way the pollen grain can stick and get trapped, in addition to nourishing it.
The style: the style is the tube that connects the stigma with the ovary and through which the pollen circulates from when it is collected to the ovary.
The ovary: this is located in the lowest part and is also the largest. It is the most important organ in the Gynoecium, and will be made up of several carpels (leaves transformed to shape the ovary). Inside we find the finical, which is a fine filament that joins the carpel with the ovule.
In the ovaries we find the ovules, which will be fertilized by the collected male pollen and thus begin the production of seeds. It is made up of two layers, one internal and one external. The inner one is called Seconding, and the outer one is called Promina. There is an opening between these two envelopes called micro pile, which will be the one that allows the entry of male gametes and proceed to fertilization. Inside these envelopes is the embryo sac and has a bag-like appearance. On the other hand, inside the embryo sac there are seven cells. Two of them are the most important and their names are the Exosphere and the Secondary Nucleus, these are the female gametes, essential in the reproductive process.
As there are flowers that can have female or male organs, these flowers are called imperfect, and among them we find those of the cucumber, melon or pumpkin plants. If, on the other hand, the flower has both reproductive parts, male and female, then they will be called perfect, as is the case with roses, lilies, tulips, dandelions, etc.
Sexual elements
The sexual elements of the plant are the pollen grain and the ovule.
The pollen grain is the male sexual structure of the flower and is produced by the pollen sacs, which are found in the anthers. It is distinguished by being a fine powder, usually yellow, and is very volatile.
Pollination
Next we are going to talk a little about pollination, although it is not a part of the flower, it has something to do with the mentioned parts. Pollination is the process by which the pollen grain moves from the anther to the stigma. There are two types of pollination processes: direct and indirect.
The direct only occurs in flowers that have both reproductive organs (androecium and gynoecium). The pollen will fall directly onto the stigma of your flower itself.
The indirect one is the most common, and consists of the pollen grain falling on the stigma of another flower, but of the same species. For this to happen, the intervention of some external agents is necessary, these are the wind, insects, water, humans, and water.
- The wind: Since the pollen grains are very light, the wind can lift and transport them easily. In addition, sometimes these grains have blisters filled with air, which make them lighter.
- Insects and birds: The striking colors of the flowers attract insects (bees and butterflies); they suck the nectar while the pollen sticks to their body and legs, which they will leave on the next flower where they stop.
- Water: Water carries pollen in its currents, picking up and leaving the pollen when the water hits the flowers.
- Humans: carry out pollination consciously.
These are the parts of a flower, we hope this information has been useful to you, and it is always good to learn a little about the things, animals and plants that surround us. And if you are a gardener or would like to have a garden, this information can be useful for those crops that require extra help to bear fruit.
