Types of Seeds for Flowers

Seeds are made by flowers as a means of plant reproduction. When a flower blooms and is fertilized by pollination, the flower dies and the flower seeds develop. The shape and size of flower seeds vary dependent upon how they are spread through their environment. Some flower seeds are edible and some seeds develop within the core of an edible fruit. Each flower seed contains a plant embryo that will grow into a new plant after germination.

Types

There are three types of flower seeds. Annual seeds are produced by plants which flower for one growing season and then die. Biennial seeds are produced by plants which grow for one season, flower in their second growing season and then die. Perennial seeds are produced by plants which grow and flower season after season, producing new flowers that upon fertilization develop into seeds each growing season.

Size

Flower seeds come in varying sizes, from a small as a mote of dust to as large as the seed pit contained within the flesh of a mature fruit. Small and lightweight seeds are carried by the wind and in the fur and feathers of animals and birds to new habitats far away from the parent plant. Larger seeds like sunflowers or those contained within the flesh of fruits like apples or berries are edible. The seed will pass through the digestive tract of the animal who ate it and will be redistributed in a new habitat away from the parent plant.

Components

Flower seeds are made up of three main parts. There is an hard outer seed coating which protects the seed until it is planted and begins to germinate. Inside the protective seed coating is the plant embryo which will emerge as a new seedling upon successful germination. Also within the seed coating is stored food material for the plant embryo to use for energy once the seed is planted and beginning to germinate.

Identification

Flower seeds can be identified on flowering plants after the reproductive organs of the flower, the stamen and the pistil, have successfully fertilized through pollination. The flower itself withers and dies, leaving developing seeds behind. Many times these seeds will develop within the flesh of edible fruits and vegetables or as nuts with very hard seed coatings known as nutshells.

Life Cycle

Flower seeds can germinate within days of their full development if they have the appropriate conditions for successful germination. Some flower seeds remain dormant for several years; the plant embryo stays safely inside it's hard protective seed coating during times of drought or wildfires until better conditions for growth exist for germination. Seeds that remain dormant for years usually require some force to crack their protective seed coating for the plant embryo to germinate.

References

• USDA
• The Columbia Encyclopedia
• Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers