Flower

Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of <a href="/facts/Flowering_plant/E5eGYIvY">flowering plants</a>. Typically, they are structured in four circular levels around the end of a stalk. These include: <a href="/facts/Sepal/rFYnXN4d">modified leaves</a> that support the flower; <a href="/facts/Petal/BcMcG97l">petals</a>, often designed to attract pollinators; <a href="/facts/Stamen/MzNPVK3D">male parts</a>, where <a href="/facts/Pollen/eqRP052I">pollen</a> is presented; and <a href="/facts/Gynoecium/P5qFQMk1">female parts</a>, where pollen is received and its movement is facilitated to the egg. When flowers are arranged in a group, they are known collectively as an <a href="/facts/Inflorescence/CvpNd4vS">inflorescence</a>.
The development of flowers is a complex and important part in the life cycles of flowering plants. In most plants, flowers are able to produce <a href="/facts/Gamete/j8e8fls6">sex cells</a> of both sexes. Pollen, which can produce the male sex cells, is transported between the male and female parts of flowers in <a href="/facts/Pollination/u383g7XJ">pollination</a>. This can occur between different plants, as in <a href="/facts/Cross-pollination/u383g7XJ">cross-pollination</a>, or between flowers on the same plant or even the same flower, as in <a href="/facts/Self-pollination/zvnJrYSx">self-pollination</a>. This may come from animals, such as birds and insects, or non-living things like wind and water. The colour and structure of flowers assist in this process.
After pollination, the sex cells are fused together in the process of <a href="/facts/Fertilisation/g8u3UKzF">fertilisation</a>, which is a key step in <a href="/facts/Sexual_reproduction/hmsXy53s">sexual reproduction</a>. Through cellular and nuclear divisions, the resulting cell grows into a <a href="/facts/Seed/a4xGSLxJ">seed</a>, which contains structures to assist in the future plant's survival and growth. At the same time, the female part of the flower forms into a <a href="/facts/Fruit/PBpuzk60">fruit</a>, and the other floral structures die. The function of fruit is to protect the seed and aid in its dispersal away from the mother plant. Seeds can be dispersed by living things, such as birds who eat the fruit and distribute the seeds when they <a href="/facts/Defecation/EBv8o15S">defecate</a>. Non-living things like wind and water can also help to disperse the seeds.
Flowers first evolved between 150 and 190 <a href="/facts/Million_years_ago/DXcnXuAw">million years ago</a>, in the <a href="/facts/Jurassic/o5Cy4KzX">Jurassic</a>. Plants with flowers replaced non-flowering <a href="/facts/Seed_plant/MQBG4KEw">plants</a> in many ecosystems, as a result of flowers' superior reproductive effectiveness. In the <a href="/facts/Plant_taxonomy/vr5BKfLQ">study of plant classification</a>, flowers are a key feature used to differentiate plants. For thousands of years humans have used flowers for a variety of other purposes, including: decoration, medicine, food, and perfumes. In human cultures, flowers are used symbolically and feature in art, literature, religious practices, ritual, and festivals. All aspects of flowers, including size, shape, colour, and smell, show immense diversity across flowering plants. They range in size from 0.1 mm (1⁄250 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft), and in this way range from highly reduced and understated, to dominating the structure of the plant. Plants with flowers dominate the majority of the world's ecosystems, and themselves range from tiny <a href="/facts/Lemnoideae/CnCc3S5Y">duckweeds</a> and major <a href="/facts/Crop/JoQKR5R8">crop</a> plants to large trees.

Flower open-in-new

Flower