Reproductive System in Flowering Plants

The flower is known as the reproductive structure of flowering plants. It consists of the male sex organ and female sex organ which makes it possible for them to reproduce sexual. Seeds, which are capable of germinating into new plants are produced, often as a result of the fertilization that occurs internally.

THE STRUCTURE OF A FLOWER


[Photo credit: Amada]


The flower consists of four floral parts, namely: 

1. the calyx
2. the corolla
3. the androecium
4. the gynoecium

The floral parts are often arranged above one another, in concentric rings, on the thalamus or receptacle.

(i) The calyx: This is made up of petals, usually small, and green in color. This protects the flower, which is in the bud. The outermost whorl of a flower consists of three to five sepals. They are either separated (polysepalous) or joined to form a cup (gamosepalous).

(ii) The corolla: The corolla is a collective name for petals. They form the second floral part in the sepals. They are the attractive  part of the flower of many plants. Four to ten flowers are present in most plants. 

Petals are generally brightly colored and have scent. The scent attracts the pollinators(pollen-transferring animals). When the sepals and petals resemble each other, they are called perianth.

(iii) The androecium: The androecium are the male reproductive organs, present in a flower. The androecium is the collective name for a group of stamens, present in petals. Most stamens have filament and anther. 

The stamens of a flower may be from three to numerous. In the case of some flowers, the filaments are united while the anthers are free. In the case of sunflower, the filaments are free while the anthers are fused. In some cases, the filaments of stamens are attached to petals (epipetalous).

(iv) The gynoecium: This is the collective name for the female reproductive organs, present in a flower. It is the innermost whorl of the floral parts of the flower. It is made up of carpels. A single carpel or structure of several  fused carpel is referred to as pistil.

A pistil with a single carpel is referred to as monocarpous. And a pistil with two or more carpels is referred to as polycarpous. If the carpels in the pistil are free from one another, the pistil is said to be apocarpous, but when fused together, the pistil is syncarpous. 

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Categories: Biology, Reproduction, Reproductive System