🌸 Gynoecium

The gynoecium is the female reproductive part of a flower. It is made up of three main parts: the stigma, style, and ovary. The stigma is the top part that receives pollen during pollination. Below the stigma is the style, a tube-like structure that connects the stigma to the ovary. The ovary is the swollen base of the gynoecium that contains ovules, which are the female cells. After fertilization, the ovary grows into a fruit, and the ovules turn into seeds. The gynoecium is also called the carpel or pistil, and a flower may have one or many carpels.

🌼 Androecium

The androecium is the male reproductive part of a flower. It consists of several stamens, and each stamen has two parts: the anther and the filament. The filament is a thin stalk that holds up the anther. The anther is the part that makes pollen grains, which contain the male reproductive cells of the plant. The pollen is needed for fertilization. The androecium plays a very important role in pollination, because it is where pollen comes from. A flower can have many stamens, and all together they form the androecium.

🌾 Pollen

Pollen is a fine, yellowish powder made in the anther of a flower. It contains the male reproductive cells (sperm cells) of a plant. Pollen is very light and can be carried by wind, water, insects, or animals. During pollination, the pollen is transferred from the anther (male part) to the stigma (female part). Pollen is necessary for fertilization to happen, as it joins with the ovule inside the ovary to form seeds. Without pollen, a plant cannot produce seeds or fruits.

🥚 Ovules

Ovules are the female cells found inside the ovary of a flower, which is part of the gynoecium. Each ovule is a tiny structure that can grow into a seed when fertilized by pollen. When pollen lands on the stigma and reaches the ovule through the style, fertilization happens. After this, the ovule changes into a seed, and the ovary around it becomes a fruit. The number of ovules inside an ovary can be one or many, depending on the type of flower.

🌬️ Pollination

Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred from the anther (the male part of the flower) to the stigma (the female part of the flower). This can happen in different ways — through wind, insects like bees and butterflies, or even by water and animals. Once the pollen reaches the stigma, it travels down the style to reach the ovary. Pollination is the first step in the reproduction of flowering plants and is needed for fertilization to take place.

🤝 Fertilization

Fertilization happens when a pollen grain joins with an ovule inside the ovary of a flower. After pollination, the pollen grain grows a tube down the style and enters the ovary. It then reaches an ovule and releases the male cell, which fuses with the female cell in the ovule. This process forms a zygote, which grows into a seed. The ovary then develops into a fruit, and the seed can later grow into a new plant. Fertilization is a very important step in the life cycle of plants.