Flower Parts

Flowers are important in making seeds. Flowers can be made up of different parts, but there are some parts that are basic equipment. The main flower parts are the male part called the stamen and the female part called the pistil.

The stamen has two parts: anthers and filaments. The anthers carry the pollen. These are generally yellow in color. Anthers are held up by a thread-like part called a filament.

The pistil has three parts: stigma, style, and ovary. The stigma is the sticky surface at the top of the pistil; it traps and holds the pollen. The style is the tube-like structure that holds up the stigma. The style leads down to the ovary that contains the ovules.

Other parts of the flower that are important are the petals and sepals. Petals attract pollinators and are usually the reason why we buy and enjoy flowers. The sepals are the green petal-like parts at the base of the flower. Sepals help protect the developing bud.

Flowers can have either all male parts, all female parts, or a combination. Flowers with all male or all female parts are called imperfect (cucumbers, pumpkin and melons). Flowers that have both male and female parts are called perfect (roses, lilies, dandelion).