8 Bc-7

Hibiscus flowers

The drawing shows a Hibiscus flower.

1 a Name parts W, X, Y and Z.

b What is the function of part W?
c How is it adapted for this function?

2 Some Hibiscus flowers were used in an

experiment. Each morning, some unopened
flowers on some Hibiscus plants were cut in
half so that when they opened they were only
half their normal diameter. Some other
Hibiscus flowers had all their petals
removed. Scientists studied the number of
visits of two insects to the different types of
flowers. The results are shown in the table.

a What is the function of Insect Flower visits in 40 minutes

petals?
Full Half No
b How are they adapted diamete diamete petals
to this function? r r
c Suggest a scientific Bombus 72 66 3
question the scientists pennsylvanicus
were trying
Ptilothrix bombiformis 22 16 0
d What conclusion can you rose-mallow
draw from thebee
data?
e Fewer insects of one species visited the flowers than of the other species. Suggest two
possible reasons for this.
f Suggest why insects visited flowers without petals.
g Look at these pictures of pollen
grains. Which do you think are
from a Hibiscus plant? Explain
your reasoning.

3 For sexual reproduction to occur, a male gamete and a female gamete must fuse. What are the names of
the containers for these gametes in plants?

4 Suggest why the stigmas in a Hibiscus flower are higher than the anthers.

5 There are many ‘varieties’ of Hibiscus. They are all the same species but each variety has slightly
different inherited characteristics. Suggest why having different ‘varieties’ in one area helps a species
to survive.

I can…
identify the parts of a flower
explain how the structures of flowers and pollen allow pollination and variation in offspring.

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