flowers

• Flowers are the reproductive part of the plant, containing the petals, pistil, stamen, and the peduncle.
• The function of flowers is reproduction, producing fruit which protects, nourishes, and carries seeds, and attracting insects for pollination.
• The parts of the flower include the stamen, pistil, and petals.
• Disc Floret: tubular flowers found in the center of a composite or daisy-like flower
• Catkin: a spike-like inflorescence of unisexual, apetalous flowers often pendent and falling as a unit
• Head: a dense inflorescence of small, often stalkless flowers
• Ray Floret: linear, petal-like floret attached at the perimeter
• The stamen is the male reproductive part of the flower, containing the anther which produces and holds pollen, discrete pollen containing units.
• The anther splits by a longitudinal slit called a stomium.
• The parts of the anther include the pollen sacs, which are cavities in the anther of seed plants that produce pollen grains, and theca, which is the cavity in the anther lobe that contains two microsporangia, or pollen sacs.
• The tapetum is a layer of nutritive cells that surrounds developing pollen mother cells and microspores.
• Microsporangia is the site of the production of pollen grains.
• The endothecium is the lining of the cavity of an anther.
• Stomium is a single layer of specialized epidermal cells that joins adjacent anther walls and is the final breakage site for anther dehiscence.
• The epidermis protects the anther from its surrounding.
• Vascular bundles are the xylem and phloem.
• Variations of the anther internal structure include dithecal, which have two thecae, typically with 4 microsporangia, and monothecal, which have one theca with 2 microsporangia.
• Pollinium is a typically dithecal anther or the adjacent thecae are fused together in a single mass.
• Pistil is the female reproductive part of the flower, containing the stigma, style, ovary, and ovules.
• Stigma is located at the top of the pistil or carpel where the pollen sticks on the stigma’s sticky surface.
• Style is the neck of the pistil.
• Ovary protects and contains the ovules, which are the organ that forms the seeds of flowering plants.
• Ovules have a variation of structures, including Anatropous, Orthotropous, Campylotropous, Ana-campylotropous, Ortho-campylotropous, Amphitropous, and Ana-amphitropous.
• Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers.
• Peduncle is the stalk of a flower or an inflorescence.
• Whorls of the flower include Calyx, Corolla, Androecium, and Gynoecium.
• Complete Flower have the four basic parts of the flower (petals, sepals, stamen, pistil) e.g
• Solitary Flowers form singly on upright stalks e.g
• Inferior Ovary (Perigynous) the rest of the flower parts are below the gynoecium.
• Staminate generally possess petals and a variable number of stamens and lack of an ovary
• Asymmetrical flowers that don’t exhibit any kind of symmetry
• Peduncle main supporting stalk of inflorescence
• Axils upper angle between a leaf where the flowers originate
• Umbel an inflorescence in the shape of an inverted umbrella having pedicels radiating from one point
• Corymb a flat-topped, open flower cluster, blooming from the outside edges
• Cyme a broad usually flat-topped inflorescence with center flowers opening first
• Dioecious species with separate pistillate and staminate flowers in different plants
• Spadix a fleshy spike which carries numerous minute flowers embedded on its surface, usually surrounded by a colorful bract called a spathe
• Monoecious species with both pistillate and staminate flowers in one plant individual flowers borne on this plant would have different sex expressions
• Inflorescence a cluster of flowers on a branch or a system of branches