Parts of a Flower Like a Red Rose
Roses, including red roses, are complete flowers--that is, they have all the possible parts a flower can possess. Flowers without all the parts are called incomplete flowers. Complete flowers evolved earlier than incomplete flowers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Possible Parts
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A complete flower has four parts that are arranged so that they always occur in the same order: sepals, petals, stamens and carpels (pistils).
Sepals
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The sepals are the outermost part of the flower, so they're farthest from the center. Sepals exist to enclose and protect the flower before it opens.
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Petals
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Red roses and other complete flowers have petals just inside the sepals. Petals are showy to attract pollinators.
Stamens
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Moving inward from the petals, you will find stamens. Stamens are "male," producing pollen that contains sperm needed for the flower to reproduce.
Carpels
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Carpels (pistils) are at the center of the rose and other complete flowers. Carpels contain eggs that are fertilized through pollination, fusing with sperm to create seed.
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