Parts of a Flower Plant
A large majority of plant species are flowering plants, or plants that grow flowers and seeds. The few plants that don't have flowers and seeds are algae, fungi, moss, ferns, lichens and liverworts. Even grasses and trees have flowers that may not look like flowers, but are so. This article describes the parts of a flower plant: the root, the shoot which consists of the stem and the leaves, the flower and the parts of it that become the fruit and the seeds. Does this Spark an idea?
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The Root
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The root is that part of the flower which is characterized by a lack of leaves. The function of the root is to take in from the soil the minerals and nutrients that are needed by the plant for it to grow and propagate. Its main parts are the primary root, which is the thickest middle part of the root that goes deepest into the ground. This part bears several side-roots, which are thinner parts but which can also develop more branches.
The Shoot--Stem
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While the root digs down into the ground, the shoot grows up toward the sun. Like the root, the stem and other organs of the flowering plant can exist in many different variations and combinations. Stems have different types of branches, with different surfaces and symmetry. They act as the main support of the flowering plant and are made up of nodes (where one or several leaves come out) and internodes (longer portions located in-between the nodes).
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The Stem--Leaves
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The leaf of the flowering plant is the part that grows laterally from the stem. To plants (and to humans) it a very important structure because of photosynthesis. This is the process by which a plant produces food for itself. For humans, the process generates oxygen by conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. The leaf has a stalk, a blade that is normally flat, and a base. Veins, acting as conducting tissues like with humans, run through each leaf to strengthen it.
The Flower
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The flower is the part of the plant that makes seeds. The main parts of a flower are the male stamen (where the pollen cells are) and the female carpel (which carry the egg cells), both found in the center. The stamen has a filament, which is thread-like and holds up the anthers, which carry the pollen. The carpel has a stigma or sticky surface at the top (which traps and holds the pollen), a style which holds the stigma and leads to the ovary, where the eggs are. The other flower parts are: the petals, which attract pollinators; and the sepals, which protect the bud as it develops.
The Fruit
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The fruit, the most unique feature of a flowering plant, is that part of the flower that becomes ripe after being pollenated. Fructification is the process whereby the ovary in the flower encapsulates the seed. These seeds are then set free from the ovary after ripening.There are 2 types of fruit: the deluscint, where the seeds are freed when the fruit opens while still with the plant; and the non-deluscint, where the seeds are freed and the fruit is no longer with the plant.
The Seeds
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A plant's seed normally has a tough shell called testa that surrounds it, protecting the embryo and its nutrients from lack of water and bad weather. The seed's nourishing tissue is called endosperm. Most seeds are dispersed from the plant by the wind, and in some cases, by animals or water. Some plants can produce a large number of seeds during their lifetime, while others only a few. Nonetheless, the evolution of plants has been so fast that, historically, scientists have not been able to keep track.
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