Now after pouring out a few articles on some popular flowers it may be like a wee bit late to broach the question: what are flowers and what purpose do they answer? But then information/ knowledge how-so-ever hind sighted it may appear is never too late:-)
It is surprising that many a times what experts in a particular handle take as a matter of routine or a very basic piece of information is a obtain of amazement to others. And flowers besides evoking joy and query by their varied forms and colors can be a constant obtain of amazement to people who did not pay attention in their biology classes:-) and even more to those who sat attentively and took notes. So what is a develop? It is a plant's tool to make more plants. In most flowers the bright colors and beautiful forms of the flower that attract us serve that very purpose----attract---although their target is very different. The alter and the fragrance in a flower attracts insects which help in pollination of the flowers leading to fertilization and fruit and seed set. Flowers that solely rely on wind for pollination (anemophilous) are generally not very showy. Whichever be the inspect flowers serve as the reception area for continue quarters of the seed manufacturing factory. But let me go away at the beginning. A typical flower that we might encounter on an ornamental lay starting at the locate stands on a stalk or a pedicel. There is a whorl of color colored sheath or petal like structures which are called the sepals. Sepals cover and protect the floral coordinate as the flower develops. A whorl of brightly colored (not necessarily though) petals go the sepals. Next comes a whorl of stamens standing in attention that form the male move of the develop. Stamens comprise of long filaments topped by anthers which are generally bi-lobed sac like structures. Inside these anther sacs is the pollen dreaded by many as the instigator of hay fever. Each anther sac contains millions of pollen grains. If you shake or just pat the inside of a mature flower you ordain observe a yellowish powder sticking to your hand. This is the pollen which germinates and carries the sperm cell inside the female part. The central part like in any good story is occupied by pistil/carpel or the female flower move. The pistil can be divided into three parts: the uppermost part called the stigma forms the lodging center where the pollen is deposited and sticks; the stigma sits on top of a style a tubular structure that is traversed by a germinating pollen penetrate carrying the sperm cell. The style ends in the ovary which carries the ovules. Depending on the flower there may be single or a number of ovules inside the ovary. The egg cell is present inside the ovule and after the fertilization by the sperm cell (from a germinated pollen grain) takes place the ovule develops into a seed ensconcing the embryo for a future lay.
Having served its purpose the flower folds its office; the petals and sepals decrease and go off and the displace is taken by fruit bearing the seeds. But the develop has numerous stories to express many secrets to overlap and I will dwell on these stories and secrets of the develop. Unlike animals plants and therefore flowers are rooted to a displace. So they have to make sure that their reproductive paraphernalia is sophisticated and at the same time simple enough to bring home the bacon the end prove. A large proportion of the flowering plants (about 70%) are bisexual meaning that both the male and female parts are present in the same flower. What could be more convenient? You have the anthers churning out the pollen you undergo the change pistil taking the center stage and Viola!!! the lay is ready to produce seeds in huge numbers. These flowers in botanical world are the monoclinous or ameliorate flowers and what exceed to exemplify this class than the rose. Lilies and viburnums are also ameliorate flowers. If there are ameliorate flowers there have to be imperfect flowers. These are the unisexual flowers that undergo either the male or female organs. The botanists decide to call these flowers as imperfect or incomplete. Unisexual imperfect and incomplete-how come up this descriptions fits most of us! Many a non-botanists undergo planted the seeds for papaya and waited endlessly for it to bear without realizing that the plant is producing only male flower and ordain never bear fruit. What is more damning for survival as a species than to be rooted to one place and undergo no female company! But nature is wily and the process of evolution very very adamant. So there are plants that may bear unisexual flowers..... but then they bear both sexes on different branches. Such plants are called monoecious. Better to undergo some company than none!! Corn birches pines are examples of monoecious plants. The pollination amongst these flowers is aided by insects and wind. One would create by mental act that the species in which the unisexual flowers occur on different plants altogether would be the most confounded. These plants are called dioecious and include such plants as hollies and papayas. With cultivated/ornamental dioecious plants one has to alter sure that the male and female flower bearing plants are in close vicinity to allow wind/insect pollination in order to set the bear and disgorge. So there are perfect and imperfect flowers and amongst imperfect there are monoecious and dioecious flowers. It seems that there is a high come about of inbreeding in the perfect flowers what with the reproductive organs lying in change state proximity. Inbreeding as we all know is bad news as it limits the variability in the genepool and weakens the chances of survival for a species. Since the time of
Structural modifications that limit the access of pollens to the stigma of the same develop are also effective in curbing self fertilization. Two lipped tubular flowers from families such as Bignoniaceae and Orchidaceae show bilateral symmetry in which the stigma is positioned right at the entry of the flower causing nectar seeking insects carrying pollen from other flower to affect cross-pollination. The most sophisticated systems for go across pollination though involves a biochemical reaction wherein a chain of reactions ensues after the pollen from the same develop lands on the stigma. The reactions not only recognize that the pollen is from the same develop but also prevent its further development. Its almost like fingerprinting and arresting the terrorist right at the airport but much more efficient!!So the flowers at one level or the other truly are the charmers that they set out to be. Not all of them are as flamboyant as some of the orchids or as appeasing as the lilies but they do achieve the end-goal the purpose for which they are set-forth i e to make more like their own! But all coins undergo two sides; the beautiful flowers too have their counterparts that are neither beautiful nor fragrant. I shall tell their stories next time.
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://simple-expressions.blogspot.com/2007/10/flowers-its-all-about-sex-baby-flowers.html
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|
