In this video we will walk you through how to carry out a simple dissection of a tulip. Learn the basic component parts and pieces of a flower. Get a tulip and follow along.
As an alternative to tulips you can try alstroemeria. Lillies are also good as they have large anthers and stamen, but the pollen can be a problem as it stains easily, and some children can be allergic to it.
Digital microscopes and hand lenses will also be useful for taking a closer look at the structure of flowers.
Flower Structure
Flowers contain the parts a plant needs to reproduce. Most plants have both male and female reproductive organs. Flowers have brightly coloured petals and a nice smell which attract insects. They often produce a sweet liquid called nectar to make it worthwhile for the insects to visit.
The male part of a flower is called the stamen. They are made of thin hairs called filaments, with a bulbous end called the anther. The anthers produce the pollen.
Pollen grains are as tiny as specks of dust, and they contain the male genetic material – half the information needed to make a whole new plant.
The female parts of the plant are called the carpel (or pistil). They are made up of the stigma, style and ovary. Inside the ovary are tiny eggs which also contain half the information needed to make a new plant.
Pollination
The transfer of pollen, from an anther to a stigma, is called pollination. The pollen travels from the anther of one flower, and then eventually lands on the stigma of another flower. This can be carried out by insects, or by the wind.
Once the pollen has landed on the stigma, it grows a tube down the style to the ovary where it joins with the egg to fertilise it. The egg now has a complete set of genetic information needed to make a new plant.
The post Flower Dissection : Tulip appeared first on Danny Nics Science Fix. Written by Danny Nicholson