What is a flower?

Learning objectives:

Petal | Stem | Pollen | Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from a male anther to a female stigma, either within the same flower or between two different flowers. It’s usually followed by fertilisation and seed production. Some flowers are pollinated by insects or other small creatures, others are wind pollinated. It’s also possible to pollinate flowers by hand, if you want to breed new plants or ensure successful pollination when there are few natural pollinators.

| Seed | Reproduce | Bud

A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

| Blossom

Preparation

Gather suitable flowering plants from school garden or from a shop or garden centre.

Equipment

• Examples of flowering plants. Try to pick plants with flower buds, some open flowers and some with older flowers showing fruits forming
• Magnifying glasses
• Paper, pencils and pens
• Modelling clay or salt dough

1. Look closely at the flowering plant
2. Ask the group if they can name the different parts of the plant
3. Look closely at the flowers on the plant. Point out flowers at different stages of the flower’s growth, from buds, to open flowers, to flowers that have withered to leave a fruit visible
4. Draw the parts of a plant including the different stages of a flower
5. Make a model of a flower using modelling clay or salt dough
6. Discuss why people like flowers. Why are they important?

• The flower is a fascinating and important part of a plant. Flowers come in all different colours and shapes and sizes. Flowers grow from a bud
  

  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

  . These open, are pollinated
  

  When a flower has received pollen, so is able to make seeds.

  and then wither leaving a ‘fruit’. Inside the ‘fruit’ are the seeds for a next generation of flowers
• Use our flower structure diagram to support this activity