The Parts of a Flower

Why are There Flowers? There are flowers so that seeds can be made. The bright colored flowers and its scent act as a lure to small animals such as bees. The bee uses the flower as a landing platform. But what is the bee looking for? It is looking for a sugary liquid called nectar. Bees are also helpful in pollination which will be explained later.

The Stamen The stamen is made up of two parts: 1. The anthers which carry the pollen, and 2. The filaments which hold up the anthers.

The Pistil The pistil is made up of three parts: 1. The stigma is the sticky part on top of the pistil which holds and traps the pollen, 2. The style holds up the stigma, and 3. The ovary which holds the ovules.

The Petals The petals attract pollinators, like bees and are usually the reason why we buy flowers. Petals come in many beautiful colors.

Pollination While searching for nectar inside the flower, the bee brushes up against the stamens (male flower part). The bees body is now covered with pollen. The bee now goes to another flower where it brushes up against the pistil (female flower part). Some pollen rubs off the bee’s body and sticks to the pistil. This transfer of pollen is called pollination. If pollination does not occur seeds do not develop. If seeds do not develop we would not have flowers.

Bee and Pollination

The Sepals The sepals are the green petal-like parts at the base of the flower. Sepals protect the developing bud.