Botany: The Structure and Function of Flowers

Questions and Answers

What is the main function of a flower in a plant?

To attract insects for pollination

To provide structural support to the plant

To produce fruit

To ensure that pollination and seed formation are successful (correct)

Which type of plants produce flowers and fruit?

Gymnosperms

Fungi

Mosses

Angiosperms (correct)

What is the term for the scientific study of plants?

Botany (correct)

Ecology

Zoology

Horticulture

What is the correct order of the whorls in a flower, from outer to innermost?

Calyx, corolla, androecium, gynoecium Signup and view all the answers

What type of flower has all four whorls present, including sepals, petals, and both male and female reproductive structures?

Complete flower Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of the calyx whorl in a flower?

To protect the flower bud as it forms Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following plants typically have incomplete flowers?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the collective name of the calyx and corolla?

Perianth Signup and view all the answers

What is the process called when pollen is transferred from a flower on one plant to a flower on a different plant?

Cross-pollination Signup and view all the answers

Which whorl of a flower consists of one or more carpels and is collectively called the pistil?

Gynoecium Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the stigma in a flower?

To trap pollen grains Signup and view all the answers

What is the collective term for the male structures of a flower?

Androecium Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the filament in a stamen?

To support the anther Signup and view all the answers

What happens when a pollen grain lands on the stigma?

It creates a tube to transport itself through the style and into the ovary Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the ovary in a flower?

To contain ovules, or female sex cells Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

What is a Flower?

Flowers are modified leaves attached to the stem of a plant, containing complex reproductive organs and specialized cells.
They belong to the largest, most diverse group of plants on Earth, the angiosperms, which produce fruit.
The flower of a plant serves a reproductive role to ensure pollination and seed formation are successful.

The Study of Flowers

The scientific study of plants is called botany, which involves studying structures, functions, evolutionary relationships, growth, change, reproduction, and other aspects of plants.
Understanding the anatomy of a flower is a specialty within botany.

Basic Structure of a Flower

The basic flower structure includes four circular layers of specialized tissues called whorls: calyx, corolla, androecium, and gynoecium.
The calyx consists of sepals, the corolla consists of petals, the androecium consists of male reproductive structures, and the gynoecium consists of female reproductive structures.

Complete vs. Incomplete Flowers

Complete flowers have all four whorls present: sepals, petals, and both male and female reproductive structures.
Incomplete flowers are missing one of the four whorls, such as corn and most grasses, which have no petals (corolla whorl) and sometimes no sepals (calyx whorl).

Whorls

Whorls are specialized layers that make up the structure of a flower, each with a specific reproductive function.
The four whorls are: calyx (protects the flower bud), corolla (attracts pollinators), androecium (produces pollen), and gynoecium (produces ova and provides a place for seed development).

Male and Female Parts of a Flower

The male androecium whorl consists of one or more stamens, producing pollen (male sex cell).
The female gynoecium whorl consists of one or more carpels, producing ova (female sex cell) and providing a place for seed development.

Pollination

Pollination occurs when pollen is transferred onto the stigma, moving toward the ovule.
Successful pollination can produce offspring.
Flowers can be pollinated by wind, insects, birds, bats, water, etc.
Self-pollination occurs when pollen from a flower pollinates a flower on the same plant.
Cross-pollination occurs when pollen from one plant pollinates a flower on a different plant.