Everything you need to know about flowers! Ann Morris, Science Advisory Teacher, PPEC,

The Life Cycle of Flowering Plants The life cycle shows the main stages in the life of a flower, from seed to flower and to seed again. This is the process of reproduction.

Why are some flowers so colourful? Many flowers have brightly coloured petals and an attractive scent. This is so that they attract bees and other insects.

What does a flower do? The main function of a flower is to reproduce and make new seeds so that new plants will grow each year.

If you look carefully at a flower, you will see that it is made up of many different parts.

Each part has an important job to do.

Sepals The sepals protect the flower before it opens. sepal

Petals The petals attract pollinating insects with their bright colour and attractive scent.

Stamens The stamens are the male part of the flower. The plant makes pollen in the top part of the stamen, called the anther.

The Stigma The stigma is the top of the female part of the flower. The pollen from another flower collects on the stigma’s sticky surface. stigma

The Ovary The ovary protects the ovules. Pollen travels to the ovules and fertilization takes place. Now the ovules will develop into seeds.

Write the correct words in the boxes: stamens, stigma, petals, ovary, sepals these attract insects where the pollen is made pollen sticks to this where the seeds grow These protect the flower before it opens Write the correct words in the boxes: stamens, stigma, petals, ovary, sepals

Pollination Insects visit flowers to search for nectar – their food. But the flowers use the insects for their own purposes!

As the insect probes for nectar, its body rubs against the stamens. Pollen gets stuck on the insect’s legs. You can often see bees with a heavy load of yellow pollen on their hind legs.

Pollination When the insect visits another flower of the same type, the pollen will stick to the stigma. This is called pollination.

Fertilization The pollen travels to the ovary, where it joins with an ovule. This is called fertilization.

Seeds The seeds develop inside the ovary, which grows to become the seed pod or fruit.

Seed Dispersal The seeds are dispersed; some by animals, some by the wind, some by explosion and some by water.

Germination If the seed lands in a suitable place, it will germinate, and grow into a new plant. Then the cycle starts all over again.

Write these words in the boxes: germination, fertilization, pollination, seed dispersal, parent plant, plant growth

Write the correct words in the boxes: stamen, stigma, petals, ovary, ovules, pollen, sepals, anther. The male part of the flower This is where pollen is made Insects carry this from flower to flower These attract insects This is the female part of the flower, which receives the pollen These become seeds after fertilization This is where the seeds will grow These protect the flower before it opens