Parts of a Flower

This is a brief description of the different parts of a flower. This will be useful to all children but is specifically designed for kids between the 5^th and 8^th grades. By learning the different parts of the flower and knowing the different parts purposes, these kids will be more knowledgeable in real world situations like helping their parents out in the gardens at their houses.

	The stamen has two parts: anthers and filaments. The anthers carry the pollen. These are generally yellow in color. Anthers are held up by a thread-like part called the filament.
	The pistil has three parts: stigma, style, and ovary. The stigma is the sticky surface at the top of the pistil; it traps and holds the pollen. The style is the tube-like structure that holds up the stigma. The style leads down to the ovary that contains the ovules.
	Other parts of the flower that are important are the petals and sepals. Petals attract pollinators and are usually the reason we buy and enjoy flowers. The sepals are the green petal-like parts at the base of the flower. Sepals help protect the developing bud.
	When pollination occurs, pollen moves from the male parts to the female parts. Pollen grains land on the stigma and a tiny tube grows from it and down the style into the ovary. The fertilized ovule becomes the seed and the ovary becomes the fruit.
	Flowers are important in making seeds. Flowers can be made up of different parts, but there are some parts that are the basic equipment. The main flower parts are the male part called the stamen and the female part called the pistil.
	Now that you have learned the different parts of a flower, can you name them all?

For more information on the parts of a flower visit: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case4/c4facts1a.html

Last Modified: February 16, 2005

By: Sam Denner