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As flowers grew more advanced, some variations developed parts fused together, with a much more specific number and design, and with either specific sexes per flower or plant, or at least "ovary inferior". The general assumption is that the function of flowers, from the start, was to involve animals in the reproduction process.
Chloroplasts in leaf cells of the moss Mnium stellare. Plant anatomy or phytotomy is the general term for the study of the internal structure of plants.Originally, it included plant morphology, the description of the physical form and external structure of plants, but since the mid-20th century, plant anatomy has been considered a separate field referring only to internal plant structure.
The flower-bearing part of the plant is usually sharply distinguished from the leaf-bearing part, and forms a branch-system called an inflorescence. [37] Flowers produce two kinds of reproductive cells. Microspores, which divide to become pollen grains, are the male cells; they are borne in the stamens. [57]
The sterile leaves are modified leaves whose function is to protect the fertile parts or to attract pollinators. [1] The branch of the flower that joins the floral parts to the stem is a shaft called the pedicel, which normally dilates at the top to form the receptacle in which the various floral parts are inserted.
In seed plants (gymnosperms and flowering plants), the sporophyte forms most of the visible plant, and the gametophyte is very small. Flowering plants reproduce sexually using flowers, which contain male and female parts: these may be within the same (hermaphrodite) flower, on different flowers on the same plant, or on different plants.
In most plants, stems are located above the soil surface, but some plants have underground stems. Stems have several main functions: [3] Support for and the elevation of leaves, flowers, and fruits. The stems keep the leaves in the light and provide a place for the plant to keep its flowers and fruits.
A floral diagram is a graphic representation of the structure of a flower. It shows the number of floral organs, their arrangement and fusion. Different parts of the flower are represented by their respective symbols. Floral diagrams are useful for flower identification or can help in understanding angiosperm evolution.
Nectary – a gland that secrets nectar, most often found in flowers, but also produced on other parts of plants. Nectar disk – when the floral disk contains nectar secreting glands; often modified as its main function in some flowers. Pedicel – the stem or stalk that holds a single flower in an inflorescence.