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Flowering plants

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Quiz

There are no aquatic flowering plants.

Photosynthesis

The process whereby special cells in an organism, usually a plant, use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to create energy in the form of glucose. Takes place in cells that contain a green pigment called chlorophyll.

Pollination

Fertilisation of a plant by pollen, commonly assisted by insects or wind, leading to production of seeds.

Angiosperm

The largest group of plants on land. They have flowers and seeds enclosed by a fruit.

Pollen

A fine powder produced by seed-bearing plants.

Stamen

The male reproductive organ of a plant where pollen is produced.

Carpel

The female reproductive organ of a plant found inside the flower.

Fruit

Something that develops from the fertilised parts of the female reproductive organs of the plant and which contains seeds for new plants.

Shoot

The part of a plant that is above the ground.

Root

The part of a plant that is below the ground.

Sepal

Small specialised leaves at the base of a flower that protects the flower as it develops.

It’s spring, and the plants in Maria’s garden are in bloom. Maria really likes looking at the flowers, all such different shapes and sizes, and they smell so sweet! Flowering plants, like the ones in Maria’s garden, are the most common type of plants on Earth. In fact, around 80% of all plant species are flowering plants! They are present nearly everywhere on the planet, even in water!

One reason for that is their structure. Flowering plants usually consist of two main parts, with very different functions. One part is above ground: the shoot... ..and the other part below ground: the root. The root system provides a firm base to anchor the plant to the soil. And from the soil, roots absorb nutrients that the plant needs to live and grow.

Above ground, the shoot system consists of: stem, leaves, and flowers. Each of these has its own specialised function. The stem provides structure for the plant, as well as a channel for water and nutrients to travel up from the roots. The leaves are where the plant converts carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen, using energy from the Sun: a process called photosynthesis. And the flowers are an important part of the plant’s reproductive system.

At the very base of a flower there are small specialised leaves: the sepals. They protect the flower while it develops. When the flower opens up, blooms, its petals give the flowering plant an advantage over other plants. The petals display bright colours, and release various scents. These make the plant very attractive to certain animals that can help it to reproduce.

Inside the petals are the plant’s reproductive organs. The male reproductive organ is the stamen, and this produces pollen. A flower can often have many female reproductive organs, each called a carpel. In some plant species, each flower has both stamen and carpels, while in other plant species each flower has only one kind or the other. For a plant to reproduce, pollen from a stamen needs to reach a carpel.

Sometimes this happens with the help of an animal that was attracted to the flower, a pollinator, and sometimes it happens in other ways, but when it does, fertilisation can take place, and this begins the formation of seeds and fruit. The ability to grow fruit is unique to flowering plants, and gives them another advantage over other types of plants. Fruit often smells good, and is tasty to animals that might eat it.. along with the seed! A seed can usually pass through an animal’s digestive system intact, and may be excreted far from where it was eaten.

In this way, seeds can be spread over a large area, and plants can grow where they haven’t grown before. Maria is really looking forward to her plants producing fruit in a couple of months! She’s even thinking of collecting some seeds, planting them, and maybe having even more flowering plants next year!