Flower overview

A flower is a modified shoot that contains the reproductive parts of a flowering plant (an angiosperm).

A flower may have four types of parts (modified leaves) attached to the end of the stem. (This stem tip is called the receptacle.)

Pistils consist of one or more fused carpels. The basal part of the pistil is the ovary. It surrounds ovules. Generally after fertilization, the ovules become seeds and the ovary becomes a fruit, enclosing the seeds. Pistils are the most distal parts of the flower.

Stamens, the next set of flower parts, consist of anthers, containing pollen, and filaments (the stalks of the stamens).

Petals, the next set of flower parts, are sterile and often function to attract pollinators.

Sepals, the most proximal set of flower parts, serve to surround and protect the flower bud. They are often photosynthetic.

Together, the petals and sepals (all of the sterile parts of the flower), are called the perianth.