1. The flower    When spring arrives, many plants are covered with flowers of many shapes and sizes. It seems that they have the mission to beautify the fields. But the flower has a more important mission: the reproduction. Flower forms seeds, which in turn will produce new plants. In the external part of the flower, we distinguish: - The calyx is composed of green leaves or sepals to protect the bud. - The corolla is composed of leaves or petals of different colors to attract insects. - The stamens, little thread located within the corolla. They end in a little sack called anther, which is filled with a fine powder called pollen. It is the male organ of the flower. - The pistil is the female organ of the flower. It is located in the center of the stamens and in its lower part, which is more bulky, it is called ovary. It contains the ovules. The enlarged upper part of the pistil is called stigma. The tube between the stigma and the ovary is called style.

   2. Choose one of these words: calyx , sepals, corolla or petals:
 

   3. Choose one of these words: stamen, anther, pistil , ovary or ovule:

    4. Fertilization in plants

   When the flower is mature, the anthers (stamen) open and the pollen escapes. Some pollen grains fall on the stigma (the pistil) and others are transported to the stigma of other flowers due to the wind or insects.

   In the picture, we see how a bee is going to seek the nectar of a Flower (sweet food) and its legs are filled with pollen grains. When the bee goes to another flower, it leaves those grains in the new stigma.

   The pollen grain descends from the stigma, through the style, to the ovary and joins with the ovule. At that moment fertilization occurs and begins a new life, which will give rise to the fruit and the seeds.

   5. Answer with one of these words : anther, pollen, insects, fertilization, ovule or stigma

    6. The fruit and the seed

   After fertilization, the ovary begins to develop to cause the fruit. Therefore, the fruit is mature and fertilized ovary.

   Fruits can be:

- Fleshy such as apple, pear , orange , tomato and others.

- Dried such as bean, almond, wheat, acorns, hazelnut and others.

   The seed is the fertilized and mature ovule. When the seed is in an oxygenated and wet place with suitable temperature, it develops to become a complete plant that is able to flourish.

   7. Answer with one of these words: fruit, fleshy, dried or seed

    8. Seed dispersal

   The role of the seed is give rise to a new plant. For that reason, the seed must be on an appropriate land. In the picture, we see that the seeds are moved to different places through:

   - The wind, sweeping along some seeds that have wing-shaped or long hairs,

   - The water, through rivers,

   - Animals that eat fruits and drop the seeds

   - The man who sows the grains of wheat or barley in the fields.

   9. Select the correct word: wind, water, animals or man

| Educational applications | Natural sciences |
In Spanish | Interactive |