A flower Consists of Following Parts

• Calyx : The sepals collectively are called as calyx. They are usually green in colour and protect the inner whorls of a flower especially during bud formation.
• Corolla: It consists of coloured petals. They are normally large often fragrant and bright coloured. Their primary function is to attract animals and insects for pollination.

Androecium /stamen / male reproductive organ:

The stamens are referred to as the male reproductive organ. A typical stamen isdifferentiated into three parts; they are filament, connective and anther.

• (a) Filament: It forms the stalk that bears more or less cylindrical or ovoid anther.
• (b) Connective: it connects anther to filament.
• (c) Anther: It is present on the top of filament. Each anther consists of two lobes that is why it is called as bi-lobed. Each anther lobe has two pollen sacs which contain millions of tiny microscopic pollen grains, called as microspores. The pollen grains are like yellow dusty powder in appearance.

• (iv) Gynoecium / pistil / female reproductive organ:
  • It is located in the centre of a flower.
  • It is composed of one or more carpels.
  • The freely occurring units of the carpels in a flower are called pistils.
  • Each pistil usually consists of three distinct parts - ovary, style and stigma.

• (A) Ovary: It is a basal, swollen part of the pistil. The ovary has one or more chambers called the loculi which are distributed in a special cushion like parenchymatous tissue called the placenta, from which the ovule develops.
• (B) Style: From the top of the ovary arises a long, elongated structure called as style.
• (C) Stigma: The terminal end of style is called as stigma. It is rough, hairy or sticky to hold pollen grains during pollination process.
• (d) Pollination: The transfer and deposition of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of a flower is called as pollination.

Types of pollination:

Pollination is of two types –

• (i) Self pollination: It is the process of transfer of the pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of either the same or genetically similar flower. It is further divided into two types:
  • (a) Autogamy: It is a type of self pollination in which the pollen grains are transferred from the anther to stigma of the same flower e.g. Wheat, rice, pea etc.
  • (b) Geitonogamy: It is a type of self pollination in which the pollen grains are transferred from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of another flower borne either on the same plant or a genetically identical plant.