FLOWER ANATOMY
We see flowers all the time but might not realize that each structure we see has a specific name and function. The purpose of this page is to familiarize ourselves with flower anatomy so it helps us understand pollination mechanism more!
Stamen
The stamen is the complete male reproductive organ. It is comprised of a filament and an anther. The function of the filament is simply to attach the anther to the flower body. The anther is the actual pollen producing structure; this is where the sperm is produced.
Carpel (Pistil)
The carpel is the complete female reproductive organ. It is comprised of a stigma, style, and ovary. The stigma is where a potential pollen grain can land and that will burrow downwards through the style and into the ovary, resulting in an embryo. On this photo it is labeled as the pistil, however this is old terminology; it is now referred to as the carpel.
Petals & Sepals
Petals are a very important structure of the flower, not only do they protect the reproductive organs inside but they are responsible for attracting pollinators. The color and physical structure attract certain types of pollinators (learn more about pollinators here). The sepals play another role as protection for the flower, they are the first structure to develop and alleviate water loss.
"Perfect" Flowers
It might seem surprising but there are actually perfect and imperfect flowers. This is a way to categorize flowers based on the presence or absence of their reproductive organs. A perfect flower has both a stamen and a carpel whereas an imperfect flower is missing one or the other.
"Complete" Flowers
One other way to categorize flowers with or without structures of interest is labelling them as complete or incomplete. A complete flower contains the set of four modified leaves: stamen, carpel, petals, and sepals. While an incomplete flower is missing one or more of those structures.