Flower Basics

Where did the phrase "stop and smell the flowers" come from? Chances are that it came from the flowers themselves. The reason flowers smell so sweetly is due to the flower's necessity to pollinate...

Pollination is an essential survival tool for plants because it ensures the continuation of the species. When flowers are pollinated, it stimulates the process that creates new seeds and...

Hybridizing your flowering plants is a great way to create custom landscape designs filled with flowers that meet your exact specifications. For centuries, gardeners have used hybridization to...

Generally speaking, plants don't require pollination by hand-collected pollen. However, collecting pollen allows you to cultivate species for desirable characteristics such as color or hardiness....

Science has not been able to prove definitively why flowers close at night. There are, however, two main theories, both of which have to do with the preservation of reproductive organs and...

There are over 28,000 species of orchid and more than 300,000 cultivars registered of this diverse plant A highly adaptable plant, growing everywhere from underground to high in trees, orchids...

Flowers are the reproductive mechanisms of angiosperms (flowering plants). Scientists estimate that angiosperms first appeared on the planet during the close of the Mesozoic Era. Flowers have...

The flower is a reproductive device; it allows flowering plants or angiosperms to exist in a variety of environments. The flower has both male and female parts.

Plants reproduce in different ways. Some grow from roots or tubers, others by spores, some by seed hidden in fruit, and others by seed created within the flower. Without flowers, many plants would...

Pollen consists of the particles that carry male sex cells in the plant reproduction cycle. Spread by the wind or by insects, pollen is rich in healthy nutrients including proteins, minerals and...

Amaryllis plants offer a dramatic presentation of large, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers on long, slender stems, framed by glossy green leaves. Flowers can range from white to yellows, oranges,...

Certain plants produce poisonous pollen used to ward off insects. Bees will learn to avoid these flowers or adapt to the pollen. There are other plants whose pollen is not poisonous to bees, but...

With so many varieties of flowers in the world, the differences between them are at once immediately visible and surprisingly hidden. Flowers are classified based on many different factors, which...

Double fertilization refers to when flowering plants contain two sperm cells that each fertilize a different cell. The cells both reside in the ovary. The egg cell, once fertilized, is called a...

Vegetative life begins with a seed or spore, depending upon the plant or flower in question. In either case, it is a self-reliant pod embedded in soil that contains all the necessities for growth:...

Pollen causes immunoglobulin E antibody production in the human body. These antibodies cause mucous production and encourage sneezing and watery eyes in individuals who are sensitive to the...

One of nature's seeming miracles is life that develops in the cool darkness of the earth as a new plant pushes its way both down into the soil and up toward the light in the quest for survival....

Flowers are grouped depending on the length of time it takes to complete their life cycles. Tomatoes, marigolds and other annuals have a one-year cycle, then die during frost. Biennials such as...

Pollen production is a critical part of the plant reproduction process. Pollen is produced in a male flower's stamen, and it is a powder of grains that produces the sperm seeds of plants. The...

The flower is the eye-catching, endearing part of any plant. For the plant, the flower creates an irresistible lure for prospective pollinators to come provide a life-ensuring service. In order to...

Even in our technologically advanced world, nothing says "I love you," "Get well" or "I'm sorry" like flowers. There are over 270,000 species of flowers in the world today, all with parts designed...

Plants make flowers so they can make seeds that produce new plants. Flowers come in many sizes and varieties. Some are large and bright to attract insects, birds and animals for pollination, while...

Angiosperms are the world's flowering plants, the flowers being the plants' reproductive part. Flowering plants use sexual reproduction, meaning a flower is either male, female or hermaphroditic....

The purpose of a flower is to help a plant reproduce. Because flowers use the help of bugs, birds and other animals to do this, flowers have evolved to be attractive.

The flower is equivalent to the reproductive organs of the plant but rather than each plant having only male or only female parts, all flowers have both. This allows for each flower to...

Plant seeds are formed when a single cell of plant pollen meets a plant egg, creating a fertile seed. There are two forms of pollination: self pollination, in which a plant fertilizes itself, and...

Plants that reproduce sexually have male and female parts, which are located in the flowers. Several of the male structures, called stamens, surround a female structure called the pistil. The...

In angiosperms, also known as "flowering plants," sperm in the pollen must travel through several layers of tissue to reach the egg cells inside the ovule. The pollen tube arises from the tube...

Flowers play an integral role in the movement of the seasons, providing primary-produced sugars for insects, habitat for microorganisms, and seeds for propagation of plant species. A flower is...

Pollination is the process by which plants reproduce sexually. During this process, the pollen is transferred from one part of the flower to another in order to produce offspring. This process can...

Flowers can grow almost anywhere and can flourish without the help of man. They can be found in abundance in fields or along highways. A novice gardener can choose a hearty breed for their climate...

A rose by another name might not smell as sweet but it would still be a flower. We grow and give them as a sign of affection. Their importance to the plants they grow on, though, is anything but...

Flowers play important roles in our everyday lives. They are beneficial to all of us. When someone is in the hospital, we bring flowers to cheer them up. Flowers are a great "pick-me-up." You send...

Flowers make seeds for the purpose of reproduction. When a flower blooms, it attracts a pollinator, depending on what kind of flower it is and what location it is in. Common pollinators are...

A pistil is a flower's female organ and is usually recognized by its three sections: the stigma, style and ovary. In many flowers, the pistil extends out beyond the length of the stamens (male...

Pollen, which can be equated to sperm in human males, is a fine powdery substance used to carry the male gamete (DNA) to the female portion of a flower. It has an outer wall called the exine which...

Flowers that attract birds are high-pollen flowers, such as zinnias or snap dragons, but sunflowers are also a great flower for birds because they produce sunflower seeds. Find flowers that will...

Flowers are not just beautiful, but are also vital to the existence of many species. There are more than 250,000 flowering plants, and these plants depend on their flowers for reproduction....

The stamen, or microsporophyll, is the pollen producing part of a flower. Often called the male reproductive organ of the flower, the number and arrangement of the stamens is used to classify the...

A diagram of the parts of a flower illustrates how the parts of a flower work together. The flower is the plant part where seeds are made to make more plants of its type. There are many different...

Big and yellow, the Shasta Daisy, which is most popular, is a perennial that requires a wet soiled condition to grow. Each part of the daisy has a distinct function that will help this flower...

For countless generations, beautiful flowers have been used as decorations at celebrations, weddings, birthdays and funerals. Flowers are prized for their beauty and scent; they're also efficient...

Fruit has its beginnings in the pollination process. This process is the transfer of pollen from the male to the female part of the flower. The male is referred to as the anther, while the female...

Bees are commonly the vehicles that cause azaleas to reproduce. The hairs on a bee's legs collect the pollen from the flowers the bee comes into contact with. When the bee moves onto another...

The flower's female parts can be found in the bloom section of the plant. The bloom is part of the flower with leaves and petals. The petals form a ring called the corolla. A flower can have more...

While we just enjoy flowers for their beauty, the parts of the flower actually have a very important function for the plant. In most plants, the flower is where the reproductive parts of the...

Flowers are the most sophisticated and delicate form of plant reproduction. Flowers actually use a form of sexual reproduction. There is a small part of the flower that sticks out like a small...

The process by which flowering plants sexually reproduce is known as pollination. In most cases, plants reproduce asexually, which means that each plant reproduces without involving another one of...