Blog Post 7

          Angiosperms first have to go through the process of pollination before being able to reproduce. Pollination occurs on the male sex organs of the flower, on the anther which is on the end of the stamen. The pollen is then transferred to the female sex organs of the flower. Pollen is typically transported by birds and insects like bees when they get the nectar out of the flower. Wind is also a helping factor in pollination. So, the pollen will arrive at the pistil in the female sex organs, and will be left at the stigma at the end of the pistil. The stigma then takes the pollen down a tube called the style which goes down to the ovary.  Angiosperms contain both female and male sex organs on the same flower, so the same flower does not need anything else to undergo the process of sexual reproduction.

These images are the parts of the broccoli flower taken apart and examined closely under a microscope. You are able to tell where the sex organs are of the flower when viewed in the microscopic lens.

This is the carpel of the flower. The carpel is where everything going on in the female reproductive system of a flower occurs. The carpel contains the stigma, style, ovary, and ovule, which basically means the carpel is the female reproductive system of the flower.

This is the anther of the brassica oleracea. This is very important on the flower because it is what produces pollen in order to get pollinators to come to it. The pollen comes from the male reproductive system of the flower. 

This is a view of a petal of the flower examined under the microscope. The petals typically have peculiar shapes and are very colorful in hue in order to enthral pollinators. 

This is the ovary in the female reproductive system of the flower. If you look closely at the small bead-like little balls coming out of it, you will notice that these are the ovules. These develop into seeds upon fertilization.