IDENTIFYING TYPES OF MAPLE TREES PLUS

Although generally referred to as a vegetable, tomatoes technically are a fruit because they develop from a flower. They include fleshy fruits such as cherries and peaches (drupe), pears and apples (pome) and tomatoes (berries). Simple fruits develop from a single ovary. Types of fruitįruits are classified as simple, aggregate or multiple (Figure 21). The rest of the fruit arises from the maternal plant and is genetically identical to it. The only part of the fruit that contains genes from both the male and female flowers are the seeds. In others, seeds are situated on the outside of fruit tissue (e.g., corn and strawberries). In some fruits, the seeds are enclosed within the ovary (e.g., apples, peaches, oranges, squash and cucumbers).

IDENTIFYING TYPES OF MAPLE TREES PLUS

Fruit Structureįruit consists of fertilized, mature ovules (seeds) plus the ovary wall, which may be fleshy, as in an apple, or dry and hard, as in an acorn.

Consequently, more plants reproduce by cross-pollination than by self-pollination. Cross-pollinated plants usually are more successful than self-pollinated plants. The resulting seed has a broader genetic base, which may enable the population to survive under a wider range of environmental conditions. It is important to remember that pollination is no guarantee that fertilization will occur.Ĭross-fertilization combines genetic material from two parent plants. If fertilization is successful, the ovule develops into a seed. Fertilization is the union of a male sperm nucleus from a pollen grain with a female egg. When pollen reaches the ovules, it releases sperm, and fertilization typically occurs. Species pollinated by insects, animals or birds often have brightly colored or patterned flowers that contain fragrance or nectar.Ī chemical in the stigma stimulates pollen to grow a long tube down the style to the ovules inside the ovary. Wind-pollinated flowers often lack showy floral parts and nectar because they don't need to attract pollinators. Plants evolved this ingenious mechanism in order to ensure their species' survival. While searching for nectar, pollinators transfer pollen from flower to flower, either on the same plant or on different plants. Species pollinated by insects, animals or birds often have brightly colored or patterned flowers that contain fragrance or nectar. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma, either by wind or by pollinators. Detailed discussions of flower types are found in many botany textbooks. In a cyme, the top floret opens first and blooms progress downward along the peduncle. In the racemose group, the florets start blooming from the bottom of the stem and progress toward the top. Most inflorescences belong to one of two groups: racemes and cymes. Each flower in an inflorescence is called a floret. Other plants produce an inflorescence-a cluster of flowers. Some plants bear only one flower per stem, which is called a solitary flower. The plant world doesn't always have absolutes! Types of inflorescences Kiwis are complicated because they may have one plant with bisexual flowers and another plant with only male flowers. In the case of ginkgo, however, the fruit generally is not desirable due to its putrid smell when ripe. In some instances (e.g., holly), the fruit is desirable. In order to set fruit, male and female plants must be planted close enough together for pollination to occur. Examples include holly, ginkgo and pistachio. In order to set fruit, dioecious male and female plants must be planted close enough together for pollination to occur.ĭioecious species have separate male and female plants. If one of these parts is missing, the flower is called incomplete. If a flower has a stamen, pistil, petals, and sepals, it is called a complete flower (Figure 19). In monocots, these floral parts typically come in threes or multiples of three. Flowers of dicots typically have four or five sepals, petals or multiples thereof. The number of petals on a flower often is used to help identify plant families and genera. Collectively, the petals are called a corolla. Like nectar glands, petals may contain perfume. Petals generally are the highly colored portions of a flower. Collectively, the sepals are called a calyx. Sepals are small, green, leaflike structures located at the base of a flower. If an egg is fertilized, the ovule develops into a seed. The ovary contains eggs, which reside in ovules. The stigma is located at the top and is connected by the style to the ovary. It consists of a stigma, style and ovary. It generally is shaped like a bowling pin and is located in the flower's center.

Identifying types of maple trees