Reproduction in flowers

Description – Reproduction in Flowering Plants (Class 12) Reproduction in flowering plants is a sexual process that involves the formation of male and female gametes and their fusion to form a zygote. The flower is the reproductive organ of angiosperms. The male part of the flower is called the stamen, which produces pollen grains containing male gametes. The female part is the pistil (carpel), which contains the ovary. Inside the ovary are ovules, each having an embryo sac with a female gamete (egg cell). The pollen grains from the anther reach the stigma of the pistil through a process called pollination, which may occur by wind, insects, water, or animals. After pollination, a pollen tube grows through the style and reaches the ovule. The male gametes travel through this tube to the embryo sac. One male gamete fuses with the egg cell to form a zygote, and the other fuses with the polar nuclei to form endosperm. This unique event is called double fertilization, a characteristic feature of angiosperms. After fertilization, the zygote develops into an embryo, the ovule becomes a seed, and the ovary develops into a fruit. Seeds help in dispersal and give rise to new plants after germination. Thus, reproduction in flowering plants ensures the formation of offspring and continuation of the species.