9/9/25, 8:30 AM Student Handout
Floral Anatomy
Parts of a flower appear differently across species of angiosperms. Angiosperms are a
diverse group of about 300,000 species of flowering plants which produce flowers and
bear their seeds in fruits. Knowing floral anatomy can help select and manage plants for a
specific purpose. Flower anatomy includes terms for:
· Parts of a flower
· Generic classifications of plants
· Description of leaves and leaf arrangement
Flowers have two primary parts:
· Vegetative
- includes the petals and sepals
· Reproductive
- encompasses the stamen and pistil
The vegetative parts of a flower are:
· Petals
- most noticeable part of a flower due to the bright colors and smells
- serve a vital function in attracting pollinators
· Sepals
- small, modified leaves which enclose and protect the flower bud before it
opens
- are often green, but some flowers are brightly colored and resemble the petals
- they can be seen just below the petals and are collectively called a calyx
· Receptacle
- the thickened part of a stem, or peduncle, from which the flower organs grow
· Peduncle
- formal name for a flower stalk
The reproductive parts of a flower are categorized into the pistil and the stamen.
The pistil is the female part of the flower and contains the following:
· Stigma
- upper part of the pistil where pollen is deposited
· Style
- stalk holding up the stigma, connecting the stigma to the ovary
· Ovary
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9/9/25, 8:30 AM Student Handout
- the basal portion of the pistil, which contains ovules
- after fertilization, it develops into the fruit
· Ovules
- female gametes, which become seeds after fertilization
The stamen is the male part of the flower and contains the following:
· Anther
- sac at the top of the stamen, which produces pollen grains
· Filament
- stalk holding up the anther
· Pollen
- powdery substance containing the male gametes, which fertilize the ovules
Generic classifications of flowers include:
· Complete: flowers which have a pistil, stamen, petals and sepal
· Incomplete: flowers which lack at least one of the four primary parts
· Perfect: flowers which contain both male and female parts
· Imperfect: flowers which are either male or female
· Monoecious: plants with both male and female flowers
- such as tuberous begonia, hazel, oak and corn
· Dioecious: plants which only possess either male or female parts
- such as a date, holly, cottonwood and willow
Leaves create sugars through photosynthesis and exchange gases through respiration.
They are attached to the stem at a node and may be arranged on the stem in various
ways.
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9/9/25, 8:30 AM Student Handout
Leaves may be simple, a single undivided blade, or compound, divided into multiple
leaflets attached to a single petiole. The anatomy of leaves consists of the following:
· Blade
- wide, flat, green part of the leaf
· Petiole
- stalk, which supports the blade
· Midrib
- central vein or ridge of a leaf
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