Plants are living organisms that need to be taken care of. They must reproduce in order to carry on their DNA to succeeding generations. Plants can reproduce sexually or asexually to produce progeny. Flowering plants are the only plants that reproduce sexually. In this blog post, we will be learning about 5 examples of flowering plants that reproduce sexually. However, before knowing the examples, we must first comprehend the anatomy of a flower and the process of sexual reproduction in flowering plants.
Flower
A flower is a plant’s sexual reproductive structure. Flowers are frequently the most visually appealing parts of a plant. The anatomy of a flower can be broken down into the following elements:
- Calyx
- Corolla
- Androecium
- Gynoecium
Let us learn about these flowering plants in detail:
- Calyx: Calyx is a green structure that resembles petals in a flower. This is found just near the flower’s base known as the ‘receptacle’. Many different sepals form the calyx of the flower. The main role of a calyx is to keep the flower safe when it is undergoing its bud stage.
- Corolla: Corolla is the catchall term for the flower’s colorful petals. The petals of various flowers come in a variety of colors and are usually fragrant. The pollinating entities are attracted to the flower by the petals and the corolla is attached just above the calyx layer.
- Androecium: The androecium is a flower’s male sexual component. A flower’s third whole is termed as “Androecium”. A group of stamens makes up the whole androecium. A filament and an anther are located at the top of every stamen. The male gamete is contained in pollen produced by the anthers, which are comprised of lobed structures.
- Gynoecium: The gynoecium is a flower’s female reproductive component. The stigma, style, and ovary make up the stigma. The stigma, which serves to store transported pollen grains, is located on top of the style, which is a thin filament. The pollen is carried down via the style to the ovary after landing on the stigma. The ovary is lobed and contains ovules, that carry the fertilized egg.
How does the Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants Take Place?
Plants go through a number of stages in order to produce progeny. Knowing how plants reproduce sexually might help you comprehend the life cycle of different plant species. Flowering plants, often known as angiosperms, have the most basic sexual reproduction. Here are some processes in plant sexual reproduction that can help you understand the process better:
1. Pollination
Pollination is perhaps the most important process in plant sexual reproduction. Pollen is produced by the male component of the plant, which is usually found in the flower. A long filament named a stamen contains the pollen grains at the terminal, and one of the numerous pollinators transports the pollen grains to the pistil, the feminine component of the flower. Insects and birds are attracted to the plant by the bright blossoms and scent of the nectar inside. As the insects feed on the plant, they attach themselves to the body of the same plant and are subsequently stripped back to some other flower that may possess a pistil. Pollen can be carried to neighboring flowers by the wind, as well as by water in some species of plants. Some plants generate male and female parts on distinct plants, allowing them to self-pollinate, whereas others generate male and female components on the same flower. Pollination, in any case, necessitates the passage of pollen from the stamen to the pistil in order for sexual plant reproduction to proceed.
2. Fertilization
As discussed above, there are parts of the pistil where fertilization takes place. Fertilization can occur when pollen reaches the female section of the plant if the conditions are favorable. Pollen is carried along with the style, which attaches the stigma to the plant’s ovary. The feminine component of the plant, the ovary, is where the ovules begin to grow after fertilization. The flower gradually withers after fertilization, and the ovary starts to develop bigger and produce fruit. Based on the species, this could be a real fruit, nut, or berry. Within the fruit, seeds grow and mature, which are covered by the fruit’s flesh.
3. Seed Dispersal
Seed dispersal is the process of spreading seeds from a plant’s fruit in order to create new plants. When animals brush up along some plants, the seeds become trapped in their fur and are transported to another location, where they fall off. This is frequent in plants with burr-like fruits, such as burdocks. Wind, rain, as well as other natural forces, may work together to transport the seed to a new location. Seed dispersal is necessary for dispersing seeds away from their mother plants so that they can grow in soil, sunlight, and nutrition.
4. Germination
The actual creation of a new plant is known as germination. The seed will ideally be in the right environment to germinate after it emerges from its fruit. Germination is the phenomenon of a seed blossoming into a new plant. This is the last step of plant sexual reproduction. The new plant starts to develop its own male and female reproductive organs, resuming the life cycle.
5 Examples of Plants That Reproduce Sexually
Flowering plants that reproduce sexually are categorized into two types: Unisexual Flowers and Bisexual Flowers. Flowers that solely have male or female reproductive components are known as unisexual flowers. They are known as “incomplete flowers.” They use cross-pollination to grow. Full or bisexual flowers, on the other hand, need both male and female reproductive components to produce progeny. Bisexual flowers will self-pollinate each other.
1. Watermelon
Watermelon is considered an “angiosperm”. It reproduces by the method of sexual reproduction and produces both fruits and flowers in a plant. When fertilized, the female reproductive components, known as eggs, grow into seeds and are stored inside the ovary on female flowers. Three stigmas are connected to the watermelon ovaries. Female flowers bloom and prepare to be pollinated by male blossoms. Pollen is released in the anther of male watermelon flowers. Pollination is required for reproduction. Pollination is the mechanism by which an insect transports pollen between a male flower to a female flower’s receptive stigma, where it fertilizes the eggs. Watermelon flowers have a one-day shelf life. Female flowers bloom shortly after daybreak, and early pollination is the most common. The ovary begins to create the well-known fruit known as the watermelon following days of being pollinated.
2. Papaya
Papaya is a blooming plant, meaning it reproduces sexually via passing down offspring. A diploid sporophyte stage precedes a haploid gametophyte step in the lifecycle. Meiosis is used by the sporophyte to generate spores, while mitosis is used by the gametophyte to generate gametes. The female gametes (eggs) are formed in the archegonium of the papaya and the male gametes (sperm) are developed in the antheridium. A single plant of papaya might be either male or female, however, they are typically one of the two. Male flowers do not yield fruit, only female blooms do. This plant has a fast growth rate and can bear fruit possible in as short as 18 months. The fruit itself can grow to be quite huge, varying in length from 1 pound to 10 pounds. Papaya is finicky when it comes to mating and growing circumstances. It necessitates precise temperatures and amounts of water, but if you keep these two factors in mind, you can continue to grow your own papaya tree at home!
3. Roses
Roses use their blossoms to reproduce sexually. They are angiosperms, which are blooming plants that develop fruit that encircles their seeds. This fruit is known as a rosehip in the condition of roses. Roses reproduce through flowers in the same way as other angiosperms do. Sometime in the spring, male and female flowers emerge at the terminals of new shoots. Pollen is found in male flowers, whereas an ovule is a pollen receptacle found in female rose flowers. When pollen is transferred from one type of flower to another by honeybees or other insects, the pollen binds to egg cells within the ovule, and the united cell is termed fertilized. A rosehip is generated at the bottom of the flower from these fertilized cells. Rose hips are eaten by birds, and their wastes offer nourishment for the seeds to develop.
4. Tulips
Tulips can reproduce in two different ways. The first method, which is well-known among flowers, is pollination and seed production. Pollen is generated during the first flowering stage, which attracts bees and other insects that travel within the petals. This pollen is transferred to other flowers, where it germinates and produces new seeds called the genetic code of both parental flowers. Tulips have a ‘back-up’ form of reproduction, which means they can reproduce even if there are no other flowers present to pollinate them. The primary bulb generates tiny ‘offshoot’ bulbs on the outside in this approach. These offshoots consume so much energy that a bulb will rarely blossom while they are being grown.
5. Cucumbers
Pollinators are necessary for cucumber pollination. Bees are the primary pollinators for cucumbers, albeit they favor other plants over cucumbers. Pollen from male cucumbers flowers is carried by bees to female cucumber flowers, allowing the female flower to generate cucumbers fruits. Cucumbers pollinate themselves. Self-pollinating plants do not pollinate themselves, but they do generate all these male and female flowers on the same plant. Pollen by the male flowers of the same plant could be utilized to mate with the female flowers. Male flowers appear in groups of three to five, possess smaller stems than female blooms, and drop off the plant once the pollination is complete.
Conclusion
Sexual reproduction occurring in plants is a biological cycle, notwithstanding its advantages. Every fruit we eat comes from sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is also seen in the seeds that are utilized to develop plants. A gametophyte is a haploid plant that generates diploid gametes, which impart diploidy on its progeny. Reproduction in plants by sexual means also results from pollination which is caused by a variety of natural causes, both purposefully and accidentally. The process of reproduction is required for all the species to continue to survive.
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