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💡 The flower is the factory
A flower is not just for looks. Its whorls are a complete reproductive kit — some parts protect, some attract, and some make and receive the gametes.
What are the parts of a flower?
Four Parts of a Flower
Sepal — outer green whorl, protects the bud Petal — coloured whorl, attracts pollinators Stamen — male part, makes pollen grains Pistil — female part, holds the egg cells
- A complete flower has four parts — sepals, petals, stamens and pistil .
- Sepals are the outermost green whorl that protect the bud; petals are the coloured, often fragrant parts that attract pollinators.
- The stamen is the male part and the pistil is the female part (Fig. 11.10).
Activity 11.5 — Let us explore
In this Activity, we will explore the parts of a flower by observing and recording the floral parts of different flowers.
Activity 11.5 — Flower Parts
Step 1
Collect different flowers
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Step 2
Observe from the outer to the inner whorl
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Step 3
Record the parts in Table 11.1
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Step 4
Cut and view a section of the ovary
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Flowers differ in their floral parts
- Collect different types of flowers from your surroundings.
- Observe each part carefully, starting from the outer whorl to the inner one.
- Record the presence of the various floral parts in Table 11.1.
- Cut a transverse and a longitudinal section of the ovary and observe it under a dissecting microscope.
- Draw a diagram of the structure you observe and note any other features.
What we observe
Different flowers show different combinations of sepals, petals, stamens and pistil — helping us compare their
floral parts
and functions.
| S. No. | Flower parts | Presence of floral parts in different flowers | Other feature(s) | Guess the function of flower part | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | D | ||||
| 1 | Sepal | Yes | |||||
| 2 | Petal | Yes | |||||
| 3 | Stamen | No | |||||
| 4 | Pistil | Yes | |||||
What is the stamen?
- The stamen is the male part of the flower.
- It consists of a filament (the stalk) and an anther at its tip.
- The anther produces pollen grains that contain the male gametes.
What is the pistil?
Pistil — Female Part
Stigma — sticky tip that receives pollen Style — thin tube down to the ovary Ovary — swollen base holding the ovules Each ovule has an egg cell (female gamete)
- The pistil is the female part with three subparts — stigma, style and ovary (Fig. 11.11).
- The stigma at the tip is flat and/or sticky to receive pollen; the style is a thin tube connecting stigma to ovary.
- The ovary contains ovules, and each ovule has an egg cell (the female gamete).
Important Definitions
- Angiosperm — a flowering plant — the most diverse group of plants on the Earth.
- Sepal — the outermost green whorl of a flower that protects the bud.
- Petal — the coloured whorl of a flower that attracts pollinators.
- Stamen — the male part of a flower — a filament carrying an anther that makes pollen.
- Pistil — the female part of a flower — stigma, style and ovary together.
- Stigma — the tip of the pistil, often flat or sticky, that receives pollen.
- Style — the thin tube joining the stigma to the ovary.
- Ovary — the swollen base of the pistil that holds the ovules.
