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The barn opposed across the way, Yet for them the lilac renewed its leaf,
That would have joined the house in flame And the aged elm, though touched with fire;
Had it been the will of the wind, was left And the dry pump flung up an awkward arm;
To bear forsaken the places name. And the fence post carried a strand of wire.
No more it opened with all one end For them there was really nothing sad.
For teams that came by the stony road But though they rejoiced in the nest they kept,
To drum on the floor with scurrying hoofs One had to be versed in country things
And brush the mow with the summer load. Not to believe the phoebes wept.
--Robert Frost
Flowers are the reproductive structures of flowering plants (Angiosperms). Flowers can range
from being very colorful and conspicuous, such as a rose or orchid, to being very simple, reduced
and inconspicuous, such as those of grasses, oaks, and elms. The function of a flower is to produce
the reproductive cells of the plant (eggs and pollen) and then produce seeds, the dormant young
plant of the next generation.
The seeds of flowering plants are surrounded by a tissue called the fruit, which may be fleshy
or dry. The culinary designation of vegetable is based on the use of the plant part (eaten as part of
the main course in a meal). Vegetables are actually various plant parts; some are fruits (e.g.,
tomatoes and peppers), leaf stalks (celery), leaf blades (spinach), lateral buds (Brussels sprouts),
young shoot (asparagus), massive flowering structure in bud stage (broccoli), root (sweet potato),
underground storage stem (white potato).
Functions of fruit. Although fruits come in all shapes and sizes, they all function in protecting the
seeds inside and in aiding seed dispersal. Protection may be afforded by hardening of the fruit to
make accessing the seeds more difficult, or by accumulation of acids or other toxins. Fleshy colored
fruit attract birds and animals; seeds pass through the gut unharmed. Some types of seeds cannot
germinate unless they have first passed through the digestive tract of an animal. Many fruits
promote wind dispersal. Other fruits have hooks, spines, and bristles that readily cling to fur and
clothingjust walk your dog in an old field in autumn and see! Fruits called pods dry out as they
mature and rip open, flinging out the seeds.
Figure 3. Arrangement of ovary and flowers relative to the receptacle can vary.
Superior ovary: ovary rests above receptacle.
Inferior ovary: ovary is embedded within the receptacle.
Inflorescence: many separate flowers clustered to a receptacle or a stem.
Where indicated, images used with permission of D.G. MacKean, Biology Teaching & Learning Resources.
http://www.biology-resources.com/
Lily stamen
I. Examination of flower structure.
1. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, what are the
functions of:
Petals:
Sepals:
Stamens:
Pistil: _____________________________
Label pistil, ovary & receptacle
Ovary:
Lily pistil on its Alstromeria
2. Identify the structural properties of the three type of receptacle pistil on its
flowers provided in the lab. Dissect each carefully with receptacle
your partner. Refer to Figures 1, 2 and 3.
1. Lily. Draw a stamen and label the anther and filament.
After carefully counting and removing the sepals,
petals, and stamens, determine the position of the
ovary relative to the receptacle. Make a drawing of
the pistil, ovary and receptacle and label each part.
# # # stamens ovary
sepals petals position*
*superior or inferior
_____________ _____________
2. Alstromeria. After carefully counting and removing Label pistil, ovary & Label pistil, ovary &
receptacle receptacle
the sepals, petals and stamens, determine the position of
the ovary relative to the receptacle. Make a drawing of the pistil, ovary and receptacle and label
each part. Daisy flower cross-section
# # # stamens ovary
sepals petals position*
*superior or inferior
Ovules:
Pericarp:
Receptacle:
Locule:
Complete the diagram and label all of the parts of the peach that are
part of the pericarp.
Slice the orange crosswise, and in the diagram draw the appearance
of the fleshy tissue showing the sections and seeds.
The rind and juicy flesh both are part of the _______________, which
developed from the _______________ of the flower.
Peel part of the rind; fold the peeling over with the orange-side outward, and pinch it to sharply
kink it and notice the fine mist of fragrant oils squirting into the air. Citrus fruits contain a variety of
sharp-tasting chemicals in the rind and a high concentration of citric acid in the inner fluids. Reread
the section on fruit function in the introduction and then Explain how these contribute to the
function of the fruit:
From which flower parts did the following fruit parts develop?
the collar of green leafy parts:_________________
the red flesh:________________
The little hard structures on the surface are achenes (see Figure 8)
Why is it incorrect to call these seeds?
Coconut ______________
Squash ______________
Avacado ______________
Kiwi ______________
Pear ______________
Embryo:
Cotyledons:
Endosperm:
B. CORN
Examine the corn cob, and examine Figure 11
What type of fruit is this? __________________
Dissect a corn kernel, and in the diagram label the embryo, endosperm,
and pericarp. Is the corn a monocot or dicot? ________________
The corn cob is classified as a compound fruit. Explain why?
The wall of the ovary develops into the ___________________ of the fruit, although sometimes the
fleshy tissue may develop from other parts of the flower, such as the ________________. The
structure of the fruit is determined by the position of the ovary relative to the ______________, the
number of chambers called ___________, and the arrangement of __________ which later develop
into the seeds.
Long-day plants such as lettuce, spinach, clover, petunia, and Black-eyed Susans--develop
flowers when the day length is LONGER than some critical day length (or more precisely, the night
length is shorter than some critical length). When lettuce and spinach plants receive appropriate
light/dark cycles to induce flowering, they boltgrow a tall stem that then flowers and sets seed
at which time the leaves become somewhat bitter.
xQ: Why do lettuce and spinach seed packets say to plant the seeds in spring and again in
autumn/late summer? Explain.
Literature Cited
Ray P, Steeve T, Fultz S. 1983. Botany. Philadelphia, PA; Saunders College Publishing; 784p.