Flowers

reproductive shoot composed of whorls

of modified leaves inserted in a
modified stem (peduncle)

Floral Parts
A flower contains four sets
of parts arranged in whorls
on the receptacle the
swollen tip of the peduncle
Accessory parts
1. Sepal (calyx)
- protects the inner part of
flower
- prevents dessication
2. petal (corolla)
- most noticeable portion
- different colors
Perianth calyx and
corolla

Essential Parts:
1. Stamen (androecium)
- male gametophyte
a. pollen containing
chamber (microsporangium)
b. anther
c. filament
2. Carpel (gynoecium)
- female reproductive leaf
and ovule bearing structure
of a flower
a. ovary
- swollen basal part
b. stigma
c. style (tube like structure)
Bract
- floral leaf formed at the base
of the flower or lower stalk.
- small
- protect flower bud
- involucre

Modified stem:

- receptacle- end of
peduncle (floral stalk)
- pedicel

Floral Variations:
1. Parts present
a. Complete
- flowers with four
modified leaves
(petal, sepal, stamen
and carpel
b. Incomplete
- lacks any of the
modified leaves

2. Sexuality
a. Perfect
- bisexual or
hermaproditic
- carpel and stamen
- animal pollinated
b. Imperfect
- unisexual
- carpel or stamen
- wind pollinated
2 types of imperfect flower:
1. pistillate
female flower
2. staminate
male flower

As to distribution of
imperfect flowers plants
can be:
1. monoecious
2. dioecious
3. polygamous
1. Monoecious
- plant with both
imperfect flowers
e.g. corn

2. Dioecious
- imperfect flowers
are borne in separate
plants, so male and
female plants.

pistillate

Staminate

3. Polygamous
- perfect and
imperfect flowers
are found in the
same plant

3. Fusion of flower parts

a. Connation
- parts of a single whorl
of modified leaves are
fused together
b. Adnation
- one whorl of modified
leaves is fused with
another whorl

4. Number of flower parts

a. Dicotyledonous
- flower parts in 4s
and 5s or divisible by
4 or 5
ex. magnolia
b. Monocotyledonous
- flower parts are in 3s
or divisible by 3s
Patersonia

5. Nature of flowers
a. Regular
- petals are of the same
size and shape

b. Irregular
- petals are different in
size and shape

Irregular Flowers:
1. Papilionaceous
a. standard/banner
- largest outermost
showy petal
b. wings or alae
- two lateral petals
c. kell or carina
- innermost smallest
petals
ex. blue pea
Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

2. Caesalpinaceous
- flower consists of 5
petals
a. banner
- smallest innermost
petal
b. 2 wings
c. 2 keels same
size and
shape
ex. caballero

3. Bilabiate (2- lipped)

- petals are partially
united
- partially united petals
form the upper and
lower lips
ex. sky flower

4. Orchidaceous
- flower has 3 petals
labellum petal
which is entirely
different in size and
shape

6.Symmetry of flowers
a. Actinomorphic
- radial symmetry
- flowers can be divided
into 2 equal halves
along any plane
b. Zygomorphic
- bilateral symmetry
- divided into 2 equal
halves only by a medial
cut through the central
axis

7. Position of the ovary

a. Superior ovary
- petals and sepals
inserted below the
ovary
- hypogynous
b. Inferior ovary
- petals and sepals
inserted above the ovary
- epigynous

ovary

Superior ovary

Inferior ovary

8. Placentation
placenta
- tissue where ovules are
attached inside the ovary

placentation
- arrangement of placenta in
the ovary

a. axile placentation
b. parietal placentation
c. marginal placentation
d. basal placentation

Inflorescence or Anthotaxy
- Flower clusters
- differ in:
a. number of flowers present
b. sequence of floral maturity
c. length of the pedicel
d. number and arrangement of peduncles

Kinds of Inflorescences:
1. Raceme
- unbranched main axis
or peduncle
- florets mature all at the
same time
- pedicels are of the
same length
ex. gladiola, corrales

pedicel

2. Panicle
- branched main axis
or peduncle
- florets mature at the
same time
ex. rice, cadena de
amor

Branched peduncle

3. Spike
- elongated axis
- sessile (without
pedicel florets)
ex.Seifritzs flower

4. Ament or catkin
- special type of spike
- elongated axis
hanging or drooping
- flowers are usually
unisexual
ex. buntot pusa

5. Spadix
- fleshy spike with
both male and female
flowers
- petalloid bract
(spathe)
ex. anthurium, gabi
pongapong

Amorphophallus titanum
The worlds largest flower
- spadix is 46 inches
tall! A rare plant of the
Indonesia rain forest

6. Cyme
- central flower
opens first
- pedicels of
younger flowers
at the margin
are longer than
the older flowers
at the center
ex. Shanghai
beauty
santan,
mayana

7. Corymb
- similar with cyme
- pedicels of younger
flower shorter
(center)
- pedicels of older
flower longer
(margin or base)
ex. caballero

8. Umbel
- axis is shorter
- pedicillate flowers
radiated from the
rounded apex of the
axis
ex. Japanese
bamboo
Compound umbel

Simple umbel

9. Head or capitate
- flowers are sessile (no
pedicel)
- arrangement of flowers
similar to umbel
- flowers may be of 2 kinds:
1. disc flower
- located at the center
2. ray flower
- located at the margin
ex. sunflower, cosmos

10. Fascicle
- closed cluster or
small bundle of
pedicelled or sessile
flowers on one side
of the stem
ex. abaca, false birds
of paradise

Thank you for listening.

Ross D. Vasquez

Cross section of the ovule inside the ovary

Embryo sac with 8 nuclei

Pollen grain- male gametophyte

Tube nucleus
Generative nucleus

Mitosis
Immature pollen grain

2 haploid sperm nuclei

Cell wall consists of:

Intine

Exine with
sporopollenin
Pollen tube

Germinated pollen grain

End
Thank you very much