![]() Sepals and petals together form the perianth. Flowers pollinated by wind are usually small, feathery, and visually inconspicuous. Petals, collectively the corolla, are located inside the whorl of sepals and often display vivid colors to attract pollinators. For example, the corolla in lilies and tulips consists of three sepals and three petals that look virtually identical. Sepals are usually photosynthetic organs, although there are some exceptions. A whorl of sepals (collectively called the calyx) is located at the base of the peduncle and encloses the unopened floral bud. ![]() The peduncle attaches the flower to the plant. Although they vary greatly in appearance, all flowers contain the same structures: sepals, petals, carpels, and stamens. Flowersįlowers are modified leaves, or sporophylls, organized around a central stalk. Different fruit structures or tissues on fruit-such as sweet flesh, wings, parachutes, or spines that grab-reflect the dispersal strategies that help spread seeds. The function of the fruit is seed dispersal. Flowers also provide protection for the ovule and developing embryo inside a receptacle. The function of the flower is to ensure pollination. The success of angiosperms is due to two novel reproductive structures: flowers and fruit. With more than 250,000 species, the angiosperm phylum (Anthophyta) is second only to insects in terms of diversification. (credit: Myriam Feldman)įrom their humble and still obscure beginning during the early Jurassic period, the angiosperms-or flowering plants-have evolved to dominate most terrestrial ecosystems (Figure 1). The vivid colors of flowers are an adaptation to pollination by animals such as insects and birds. Flowering plants dominate terrestrial landscapes. Figure 1. These flowers grow in a botanical garden border in Bellevue, WA.
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