5. Characteristics of a flowering plant
Single or Multiple Cotyledons
Produce Flowers
Produce Fruits
6. Characteristics contin..
Single or Multiple Cotyledons
Traditionally, flowering plants are divided into two main
classes--monocots (Liliopsida) and dicots (Magnoliopsida--
depending on the number of cotyledons they contain.
The cotyledon is the part of the seedling first visible when it
grows out of the soil.
This leafy structure is wrapped around the seed and supplies
essential nutrients to it.
7. Characteristics contin..
Monocots feature an embryo with a single cotyledon
while dicot flowering plants feature two cotyledons.
It is for this reason monocots are called monocotyledonae
(single cotyledon) and dicots are called dicotyledonae
(two cotyledons).
8. Characteristics contin..
Produce Flowers
Flowers, the reproductive organs of all plants, distinguish
flowering plants (angiosperms) from seed plants
(gymnosperms).
Flowers that contain either male or female parts are called
imperfect, while those with both are called perfect flowers.
The stamen is the male reproductive part that is comprised of a
yellow anther that features a sac full of pollen, and the
delicate, long stem it rests on, called the filament.
9. Characteristics contin..
The female reproductive part is the pistil that is usually
found in the center of a flower. It is comprised of three
parts--the upper sticky part that catches and traps pollen
is the stigma; the tubular part called style that supports
the stigma; and the lower part that contains the ovule is
called the ovary.
The ovule develops into the seed when fertilized by
pollen grains. Self-pollinating or hermaphroditic plants
contain both male and female flower parts.
10. Characteristics contin..
Produce Fruits
Flowering plants bear one or several seeds enclosed in
fruit.
This fructification characteristic distinguishes
angiosperms from gymnosperms--seed plants that produce
seeds that are naked and do not lie within any fruit, such
as fir, pine and spruce trees.
11. Characteristics contin..
Angiosperms are comprised of the largest majority of
plants that bear seeds. Each plant variety of angiosperms
features a different size and shaped fruit which helps
identify and classify the particular species.
These fruits are available in a variety of colors and liven
up the landscape during growing season