2. THE WORLD OF FLOWERS
There are many types of flowers.
Some are colourful, some are plain.
Some are big enough to sit in. Others are so small
they’re hard to see.
They have different shapes, different patterns, and
they live in different places.
3. THE WORLD OF FLOWERS
So here’s a couple of questions:
What do flowers have in common?
What parts make up a flower and
what are they for?
4. THE largest flower in the world…
• Rafflesia arnoldii: This
is a strange flower! It is
the largest flower in the
world, with a diameter
of metres and weighs
11 kg! It grows in the
forests and jungles of
Southeast Asia,
especially in Indonesia
and the Philippines.
5. …And the smallest!
• Wolffia is officially the
world’s smallest flower,
with each bloom
weighing about as
much as two grains of
sand.
• Wolffia sometimes grow
in colonies The only
way to identify the
exact species of a
Wolffia flower is to view
it under a microscope.
6. THE WORLD OF FLOWERS
Some interesting links to find out more about
the amazing world of flowers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joDiVN4d
HME (Night-blooming cereus cactus flower)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh149OE
SEF0 (Giant Corpse Flower bloom – one of the
most stinky flowers in the world!)
7. INSIDE A FLOWER
Now let’s look inside a
flower to learn something
more about its parts!
Let’s start with petals…
8. PETALS
• Petals are often very
brightly coloured. This
is because their main
job is to attract insects,
such as bees or
butterflies, into the
flower.
• The insects pick up
pollen from the flower,
and carry it to the next
flower they visit. This is
how most flowers are
pollinated.
9. sepals
• Sepals are special types of leaves that form a
ring around the petals. Their job is to protect
the flower while it is still a bud. After the
flower has opened, the sepals can still be seen
behind the petals.
• Sepals are usually green or brown, but in
some plants they are the same colour as the
petals.
11. NECTARIES
• The nectaries are the parts of a flower that make
nectar. Nectar is a sweet substance. Insects drink
it to get energy! Bees also use nectar to make
honey.
• The nectaries are usually right in the centre of
the flower. This means the insects have to go
deep into the flower to find the nectar. As they
do so, their bodies pick up pollen from the
anthers, and they carry it to the next flower they
visit.
13. CARPEL: THE FEMALE PART
• The carpel has three
parts:
1. STIGMA
2. STYLE
3. OVARY
14. CARPEL: THE FEMALE
PART
• The stigma is covered in a
sticky substance. Its job is
to "catch" the grains of
pollen (which usually
come from another
flower).
• The style is the stalk that
holds up the stigma.
• The ovary contains the
ovules (or "eggs")
15. CARPEL: THE FEMALE PART
• When the flower is
pollinated, the pollen
sticks to the stigma.
• It then travels down the
style to the ovary.
• In the ovary, the pollen
joins with the ovules, and
the ovules become seeds.
• This is called fertilisation.
• After fertilisation, the
ovary turns into the fruit.
16. stamens: THE male PART
• The job of is to make pollen.
Pollen is a fine yellow
powder that is needed to
make a new plant.
• Each stamen has two parts:
an anther and a filament.
The anther contains the
pollen and the filament
holds up the anther.
• The pollen is carried to the
stigma of another flower
and fertilises it, and new
seeds are made.
17. receptacle
• The receptacle is the
top part of the flower
stalk, where the parts
of the flower are
attached. It is often
rounded in shape.
• All the parts of the
flower are attached to
the receptacle.
19. INSIDE A FLOWER
TAKE A QUIZ!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/scien
ce/living_things/plant_life_cycles/quiz/q
69706711/
20. INSIDE A FLOWER
Find out more about flowers here:
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/j
ams/science/plants/flowers.htm (video)
https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/
Shared%20Documents/VTC/plant_repro/e
ng/Introduction/default.htm (game)