IGCSE Biology / Reproduction in plants
The parts of a flower
Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1), chapter 13: Reproduction in plants, specification point 3.3. Free lesson.
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A flower has male and female reproductive parts, as well as parts that help attract insects or protect the flower bud. Knowing the names, positions and functions of each part helps you label a flower and explain where its gametes are found.
What the parts of a flower do
In an insect-pollinated flower, each part has a particular position and function. The petals attract insects, while the sepals protected the flower bud before it opened. Petals are large, brightly coloured and often scented to attract insects. Sepals are underneath the petals and protected the bud before it opened. The anther produces pollen grains. Pollen contains the male gametes. The filament is the stalk that holds the anther up. The stigma is sticky, so pollen grains stick to it. The style is the stalk that holds the stigma up. The ovary is at the base…
Which parts are male and female
The flower’s male reproductive structure is the stamen. Its female reproductive structure is the carpel. Sorting the smaller parts under these names helps you keep similar-sounding parts straight. The stamen is the anther plus the filament. The carpel is the stigma, style and ovary. The filament is the male stalk. The style is the female stalk. The stigma is the female receiving surface. It is sticky so pollen adheres to it; there is no receiving surface listed for the male part.
Where the male and female gametes are found
A gamete is a reproductive cell. The pollen grain is not itself the male gamete: it contains the gamete. The female gamete is found inside an ovule. The male gamete is inside a pollen grain, which is produced in the anther. The female gamete is inside an ovule, which is inside the ovary.
Four key facts to remember
Use the whole structures and their component parts to organise your recall. This also helps you give the gamete’s exact location rather than naming the pollen grain or ovule as the gamete. Stamen: anther and filament, male. Carpel: stigma, style and ovary, female. Pollen contains the male gamete; the ovule contains the female gamete. Petals attract insects; sepals protected the bud.