The document discusses the reproductive parts of plants and pollination. It describes the structure of dicot and monocot flowers, including the male and female parts. It explains different types of pollination like wind, insect, bird and discusses compatible pollen. The fertilization process is outlined as pollen growing a tube to the ovary where sperm nuclei fuse with ovules to produce seeds.

1. RHS Level 2 in the Principles of Horticulture
The Function of the Reproductive Parts of the Plant
Echinacea Caryopteris x clandonensis
angustifolia ‘Arthur Simmonds’
Peacock Butterfly Monarch Butterfly
www.hdwallpapers.in www.commons.wikimedia.org

2. Structure of a Dicotyledon Flower
Corolla (All the petals together)
Nectaries (At base of Perianth)
http://www.osovo.com/diagram/flowerpartsdiagram.htm

3. The Role of Each Component
within the Perianth
• All the Sepals (usually green) together form
the Calyx and protect the young flower bud
• All the Petals together form the Corolla and
attract pollinators with colour and shape
• The Nectaries are at the base of the Perianth
and produce nectar to attract pollinators

4. Tepals in Monocotyledon Flowers
• In most monocots the Sepals look like Petals
• The Petals & the Sepals alternate around the
rim of the flower and both are called Tepals

5. The Role of Each Male Component
within the Stamen
• The Anther produces pollen which consists of
grains containing the male gametes
(reproductive cells).
• The Filament is the stalk of the stamen and
supports the Anther.

6. The Role of Each Female Component
within the Carpel
• The Stigma is a receptive surface for pollen grains
and is usually sticky.
• The Style joins the Stigma to the Ovary and the
pollen tube grows through it.
• The Ovary contains the Ovule(s) and becomes the
fruit.
• The Ovule carries female gametes (reproductive
cells) and become a seed on fertilization.

7. The Sexual Variations
The sex of a flower can be described in 3 ways
1) Hermaphrodite Flowers: these are complete
and bear both male and female sex parts.
2) Male Flowers: bear only male sex parts.
1) Female Flowers: bear only female sex parts.

8. Hermaphrodite Plants
• Most plants have bisexual flowers containing
both male and female reproductive organs
• They may pollinate themselves or be
pollinated by
another plant
of the same
species or
genus

9. Monoecious Plants
• Other plants produce unisexual flowers
• On a Monoecious
plant male & female
flowers are borne
separately on the
same plant so you
only need one plant
for pollination
Begonia ‘Illumination Apricot’

10. Dioecious Plants
• These also produce unisexual flowers but on
different plants so two are needed for pollination
Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’(male) Skimmia japonica 'Bowles Dwarf Female'

11. Pollination & Fertilization

12. Different Types of Pollination
• Self pollination: the transfer of pollen from the
anther to the stigma of the same flower or
another flower on the same plant.
• Cross pollination: the transfer of pollen from
the anther of a flower on one plant to the
stigma of a flower on another plant.

13. Animal Pollinators - Insects
• Pollination is aided by insects:
butterflies, bees, flies, beetles, moths, wasps
and ants.
• The insects transport the pollen as a
consequence of using the flowers for
feeding, breeding or hiding.
• The pollen adheres to insect's body parts such
as face, legs and mouthparts and then gets
brushed off by the stigma.
• Slugs are also known to transport pollen from

14. Insect Pollinated Plants - Characteristics
• Have adapted their petal sizes, shapes and
colours in different ways to attract particular
pollinators.
• Produce various scents and types of nectar to
attract their pollinators.
• Their reproductive structures (Stamen and
Pistil) are ideally positioned to enable pollen to
be easily transferred to and from visiting
insects.
• Their pollen grains have a coarse surface or are
covered by a sticky oily fluid so they can attach
themselves to the pollinator.

15. Insect Pollinated Plants - Variations
• Butterflies like scent, bright colours such as
red, yellow, orange and wide flowers to land on.
• Bees prefer bright blue and violet colours and
are attracted by patterns called ‘nectar guides’
that are visible only in ultraviolet light.
• Flies are attracted to carrion odours.
• Beetles prefer wide flowers with less nectar and
more pollen.
• Moths prefer white petals and a strong scent.

16. Insect Pollination - Examples
Helianthus pollinated by Amorphophallus titanum Yucca pollinated by
butterfly pollinated by flies Yucca moth
www.landcareresearch.co.nz www.greendiary.com www.ces.ncsu.edu
Orchid pollinated by beetle
www.education.ezinemark.com
Lavatera pollinated by bee
www.sciencephotolibrary

17. Animal Pollinators –
Birds, Reptiles & Mammals
• In the tropics birds like hummingbirds and
honeyeaters feed off nectar.
• They prefer red, pink or purple flowers with
long narrow tubes leading to the nectar.
• Bats are an important pollinator and are
attracted by scent.
• Pollen has been found on the hairs of
monkeys, lemurs, possums and rodents and
on lizards and geckos.

18. Bird, Mammal & Reptile Pollination
Numbat feeding on insect on
Banksia attenuata
www.michaelmorcombe.com.au
Gecko www.greendiary.com
Geckos pollinating
Bat www.gesneriads.ca/paliav08.htm www.photomazza.com

19. Wind Pollinated Plants & their Characteristics
Conifers, palms, grasses & many deciduous trees
• Inconspicuous, colourless flowers without petals or
nectar that are clustered in large groups e.g. catkins.
• Most pollen grains are small, dry and dust-like with a
smooth surface and produced in massive quantities.
• Larger grains like Pinus are kept lighter with air bags.
• Male flowers have long filaments exposing the anthers
and their pollen to the wind.
• Female flowers have long, feather-like stigmas, which
protrude outside the flowers to capture as much of the
wind-blown pollen as possible.

20. Wind Pollination - Examples
Cortaderia selloana
Corylus avellana 'Pumila'
Pinus www.biology.clc.uc.edu www.gardencrossings.com
www.plantscienceimages.org
Pinus releasing pollen Corypha umbraculifera
Salix caprea www.gettyimages.com www.garden.lovetoknow.com www.flowersofindia.in

21. The Fertilization Process
1. Pollen grains land on the
sticky stigma.
2. A pollen tube grows
down the style, followed by
male sperm nuclei.
3. The sperm nuclei fuse
with the female ovules.
4. The ovules develop into
seeds and the ovary
develops into fruit.
www.buzzaboutbees.net/plant-pollination-process.html

22. The Fertilization Process - Terms
• Gametes are either male or female reproductive
cells that unite during sexual reproduction to
form a new cell called a Zygote.
• Pollen has to be Compatible with the pistil it
lands on in order for fertilization to take place.
• If the pollen is Incompatible the process of pollen
germination, pollen tube growth, ovule
fertilization and embryo development is halted at
one of its stages and no seeds are produced.

23. Reasons for Incompatibility
• It happens when a pollen grain produced in a
plant reaches a stigma of the same plant or
another plant with a similar genetic make-up.
• It prevents self-fertilization and thus
encourages outcrossing.
• It prevents selfing (in-breeding) and promotes
the generation of new genetic make-ups in
angiosperm plants.

24. Today we looked at
• The structure of a dicotyledon flower
• The role of each component of a flower
• The meaning of the words
monoecious, dioecious and hermaphrodite
• The process of pollination
• The characteristics of wind and animal
pollinated plants
• The process of fertilization