Parts of a Flower

A free interactive lesson on flower anatomy for Class 5 — the male stamen (anther and filament) and female pistil (stigma, style, ovary), how pollen travels between flowers via bees and wind, and how fertilisation turns the ovule into a seed inside a fruit. Based on NCERT Class 5. Includes quiz.

Class 5 ScienceClass 5 / Grade 5Ages 7–10
Lesson
🌸 Parts of a Flower
A flower is the plant's way of making seeds.Centre🌼 Petals — attract insects🟠 Centre — reproductive organs🌿 Leaves — make food🟤 Stem — carries water upEvery part has a role to play.

Why are flowers beautiful? Not for us — for bees, butterflies, and birds. A flower's petals, colours, and nectar are all designed to attract pollinators. The flower is the plant's reproductive organ — its entire purpose is to make seeds.

The basic parts of a flower

Flowers are the reproductive organs of flowering plants. The main parts are:

  • Petals — often colourful and fragrant to attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds.
  • Sepals — the green leaf-like structures that protect the flower bud before it opens.
  • Stamens — the male reproductive organs.
  • Pistil (carpel) — the female reproductive organ.

Stamen — the male organ

Each stamen consists of two parts: the filament (a stalk) and the anther at the top. The anther produces and releases pollen grains — tiny, often yellow, particles that contain the male sex cells. A single flower may have thousands of pollen grains.

Pistil — the female organ

The pistil consists of three parts: the stigma (sticky top that catches pollen), the style (the tube connecting stigma to ovary), and the ovary (the swollen base containing one or more ovules). Each ovule can become a seed after fertilisation.

Pollination and fertilisation

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma. It can happen by:

  • Insects (especially bees) — attracted by colour, scent, and nectar; pollen sticks to their bodies and is carried to the next flower.
  • Wind — wind-pollinated flowers (grasses, many trees) produce enormous quantities of light pollen and have large, feathery stigmas to catch it.
  • Birds and bats — for flowers too large for insects.

After pollination, a pollen tube grows down the style to an ovule. The male sex cell travels down the tube and fuses with the egg cell inside the ovule — this is fertilisation. The fertilised ovule becomes a seed, and the ovary wall develops into a fruit around it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the function of a flower?

Flowers are the reproductive organs of flowering plants. Their purpose is to produce seeds through pollination and fertilisation — ensuring the plant's genes are passed to the next generation.

What is the difference between a stamen and a pistil?

The stamen is the male organ — it consists of a filament (stalk) and anther (which produces pollen). The pistil is the female organ — it consists of the stigma (pollen catcher), style (tube), and ovary (which contains ovules that become seeds).

What is pollination?

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another (or sometimes the same) flower. It can be carried out by bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, or the wind.

How does a fruit form?

After fertilisation, the ovule develops into a seed and the ovary wall grows and thickens to form the fruit around the seed. The fruit protects the seed and often helps disperse it — for example by attracting animals that eat it.

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