Flower anatomy is an important concept in botany! Whether you and your students are studying fruits, pollination, or plant genetics, understanding the basics of flower anatomy is important background knowledge. Specifically, this post covers the basic parts of flower anatomy: the 4 “whorls” of complete flowers (sepals, petals, carpel, and stamen) as well as other basic parts supporting the flower’s structure.
Are you an educator? Click here to skip to the flower anatomy classroom activities at the end of this post.
Sepals
The sepals are small modified leaves located around the base of a flower. Sepals support the flower and protect the other flower parts while the flower is closed before and after pollination. You can find sepals still attached to some fruits.
Petals
The petals are modified leaves that help attract pollinators to the flower. Petals are often large and brightly colored and may have patterns of colors in the ultraviolet spectrum which can be seen by insects even though it is invisible to the human eye. Interestingly, petals’ bright colors and patterns have evolved to send a signal to pollinators: “This way to the food!”
Stamen
The stamens are the male part of a flower that produces pollen. The job of the stamen is to ensure the pollen is gently attached to pollinators’ bodies as they visit the flower to drink nectar. Each stamen has two main parts:
- Anther – the top portion of the stamen, which contains the pollen.
- Filament – a short stalk supporting the anther.
Carpel
The carpel is the female part of a flower that receives the pollen (also known as the pistil). Primarily, the carpel awaits for pollen to be tracked onto it by a pollinator as it travels from flower to flower. The carpel has three main parts:
- Stigma – the tip of the carpel that receives the pollen.
- Style – a tube connecting the stigma to the ovary. Genetic materials travel from the stigma, down the style, and to the ovary.
- Ovary – the part of the carpel that develops into a fruit after pollination. The ovary contains ovules that develop into seeds.
Pedicel
A pedicel is a short stalk holding a single flower. A stalk holding more than one flower is called a peduncle. Both pedicels and peduncles serve the function of supporting flowers and transporting water and nutrients to the flowers.
Receptacle
The receptacle is the thickened top portion of the pedicel that connects to the flower’s base. This part supports the flower and holds the floral whorls. The receptacle becomes part of the fruit in certain fruits such as raspberries and strawberries.
Complete vs Incomplete Flowers and Perfect vs Imperfect Flowers
Flowers are classified as complete or incomplete and perfect or imperfect. Perfect flowers have both male and female parts (stamen and carpel). Imperfect flowers have either male or female parts but not both.
Any flower that has all four whorls (sepals, petals, stamens, and carpel) is called a complete flower. Complete flowers will also always be perfect flowers. However, perfect flowers are not always complete. A flower that has three or fewer whorls is called an incomplete flower. A flower can be incomplete and still be perfect (for example, a flower with petals, stamens, carpel, but no sepals).
Flower Anatomy Activities
1. Flower anatomy coloring activity:
The Free Resources page of my website includes this flower anatomy coloring activity. My email subscribers can access and download my full collection of free resources (I don’t spam and you can unsubscribe at any time!).
2. Flower Dissection Activity
Read my blog post with directions for a flower dissection classroom activity!
Flower Dissection: try this simple hands-on science activity in your classroom!
Are you teaching your students about the parts of a flower or plant anatomy? Sometimes the best way to understand how something works is by taking it apart. A flower dissection is a simple and engaging hands-on activity that brings plant anatomy to life in your classroom. In this activity, students will carefully examine and…
3. Flowers Unit
If you’re an educator planning to teach plant or flower anatomy, great activities and visuals are key to deepening understanding! I think you and your students will love my Flower Anatomy Diagrams, which you can also find within my complete Flowers Unit or Botany Collection (Plus you’ll support my blog with your purchase! ❤️)
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4 replies on “Flower Anatomy: the four whorls of flowers and their functions, plus diagram and activity!”
[…] A simple fruit forms from a single flower with a single ovary. […]
[…] a flower to learn about flower anatomy. Can you find the stamen, carpel, petals, and sepals? Talk about how bright colored petals can […]
[…] You might already know that pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen (male flower part) to the carpel (female flower part) of a flowering plant. Once pollinated (via any of the pollination methods), the plant forms a fruit. Fruits contain seeds, which will grow into the next generation of plants. Read more about flower anatomy and download a free flower anatomy diagram here. […]
[…] the plant life cycle. You might already know that pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen to the carpel of a flowering plant (psst – brush up on your plant anatomy by reading my […]