Name _____________________________________
Date _____________________________________
THE POWER OF POLLINATION
Flowers are sweetly scented, brightly colored, and
come in a variety of shapes for one reason—to attract
honey bees, other insects, hummingbirds and bats to
pollinate them. Flowers need to produce seeds in order to
reproduce. When some plants produce seeds, they also
produce fruit—cherries, apples, oranges, just to name a
few. For a plant to reproduce, pollen, the male cells, must
be transferred to the female part of the flower, the stigma.
Using the following glossary, try to label the parts of the
flower with your teacher’s help.
Flower Parts
Petals – brightly colored, thin structures surrounding the
reproductive parts of the flower. The petals protect the pistil
and the stamen and also attract pollinators like honey bees.
Sepals – green, leaflike structures that protect the
flower bud before it opens.
Male Flower Parts: the Stamen
Anther – bright sac that produces the male cells
or pollen grains.
Filament – the stalk supporting the anther.
Pollen – powdery particles, often a bright yellow or
bright orange color, containing male cells (gametes). Bees
collect pollen on their body hairs and in the pollen baskets
on their hind legs. Pollen is a nutritious food containing
protein and fat for bees.
Female Flower Parts: the Pistil
Ovary – the rounded base of the female part of the
flower which contains the ovules that become seeds.
Stigma – sticky surface where the pollen lands and
germinates.
Style – narrow stalk between the stigma and the ovary.