FLOWERS
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to affect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs. Flowers may facilitate out crossing (fusion of sperm and eggs from different individuals in a population) resulting from cross pollination or allow selling (fusion of sperm and egg from the same flower) when self pollination occurs. Some flowers produce Diasporas without fertilization (parthenocarpy). Flowers contain sporangia and are the site where gametophytes develop. Many flowers have evolved to be attractive to animals, so as to cause them to be vectors for the transfer of pollen. After fertilization, the ovary of the flower develops into fruit containing seeds.
In addition to
facilitating the reproduction of flowering plants, flowers have long been
admired and used by humans to bring beauty to their environment, and also as
objects of romance, ritual, religion, medicine and as a source of food.
In addition to
facilitating the reproduction of flowering plants, flowers have long been
admired and used by humans to bring beauty to their environment, and also as
objects of romance, ritual, religion, medicine and as a source of food.
The essential
parts of a flower can be considered in two parts: the vegetative part,
consisting of petals and associated structures in the perianth, and the
reproductive or sexual parts. A stereotypical flower consists of four kinds of
structures attached to the tip of a short stalk. Each of these kinds of parts
is arranged in a whorl on the receptacle.
A rose is a
woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceous, or
the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and thousands of
cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing, or
trailing, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles.
Rosa 'Eden' is
a light pink and white climbing rose. The cultivar was created by Marie-Louise
Meilland and introduced in France by Meilland International in 1985 as part of
the Renaissance Collection.
A leaf is a dorsiventrally flattened organ of a vascular plant and is the principal lateral appendage of the stem, usually borne above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. The leaves and stem together form the shoot. Leaves are collectively referred to as foliage, as in "autumn foliage".
