Chapter 6 of 8

All 8 chapters
  1. 1Plant parts and their jobs, readunderstood
  2. 2From seed to seedling, readunderstood
  3. 3A fair test with plants, readunderstood
  4. 4Light, water and plant health, readunderstood
  5. 5Leaves make food, readunderstood
  6. 6Flowers and pollination, readunderstood
  7. 7How seeds travel, readunderstood
  8. 8The life cycle of a plant, readunderstood

S2.1.6 Chapter 6

Flowers and pollination

Why do plants have flowers?

Your guess

Pick one before you read on. It is fine to be wrong.

Your guess

  • You picked A. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked B. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked C. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked D. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

By the end you can

  • Point to the petals, stamens and the part that becomes the fruit
  • Explain how insects, birds and wind carry pollen between flowers

A flower is not only for looking at. A flower is how many plants make seeds.

Petals are often bright. They bring insects and birds to the flower.

Inside the flower are the stamens. They make pollen. Pollen is a fine dust.

In the middle is the pistil. Its top is sticky, and it catches pollen. At its base is the part that becomes the fruit. A fruit holds the seeds.

Draw it first

Draw the parts of a flower

  1. A flower cut open. A petal on each side, one labelled petal. A round base in the middle, labelled becomes fruit. Two stamens lean out with a dot on top, one labelled stamen. A stalk rises from the base to a sticky top, labelled sticky top.petalbecomes fruit

    1 Draw a stem, a round base and two petals. Write petal and becomes fruit.

  2. A flower cut open. A petal on each side, one labelled petal. A round base in the middle, labelled becomes fruit. Two stamens lean out with a dot on top, one labelled stamen. A stalk rises from the base to a sticky top, labelled sticky top.petalbecomes fruitstamen

    2 Draw two stamens with a dot on top. Write stamen.

  3. A flower cut open. A petal on each side, one labelled petal. A round base in the middle, labelled becomes fruit. Two stamens lean out with a dot on top, one labelled stamen. A stalk rises from the base to a sticky top, labelled sticky top.petalbecomes fruitstamensticky top

    3 Draw a stalk from the base. Add a small round sticky top. Write sticky top.

Pollination is pollen reaching the sticky top of a flower. The pollen comes from a flower of the same kind.

Pollen cannot walk. Something has to carry it.

Bees and butterflies visit flowers for sweet nectar. Birds such as sunbirds and hummingbirds do too.

Pollen sticks to their bodies. They do not mean to carry it. At the next flower, some rubs off on the sticky top.

Two flowers cut open with a bee between them. The left flower has pollen above its stamens, one labelled stamen. An arrow runs from the stamen to the bee, labelled bee, and on to the right flower. The right flower has a black sticky top, labelled sticky top. Labels: stamen, bee, sticky top.stamenbeesticky top
Pollen goes from a stamen to a sticky top.

See it three ways

As a picture

Three small pictures. Each has two flowers and an arrow from the left flower to the right flower. The labels are insects, birds and wind.insectsbirdswind

In words

Insects and birds carry pollen on their bodies. Wind blows pollen from flower to flower.

Grasses, maize, rice and wheat use the wind. Their flowers are small and dull. They have no bright petals. They make a lot of pollen.

Two flowers side by side. The left flower is cut open and has bright petals. It is labelled bright petals and insects. The right flower is a grass flower with no petals and long loose stamens. It is labelled no petals and wind. Labels: bright petals, insects, no petals, wind.bright petalsinsectsno petalswind
Bright petals bring insects and birds. A grass flower uses the wind.

After pollination, seeds start to grow. The petals fall. The base swells into a fruit.

Three small pictures joined by arrows. The first shows a flower with petals, labelled flower. The second shows a round base with no petals, labelled base. The third shows a big round fruit with seeds inside, labelled fruit.flowerbasefruit
The base of the flower swells into a fruit.

In science, a bean pod, a tomato and a mango are fruits. Each one holds seeds.

Try it

Find the pollen of a wind flower

You need: grass, maize, rice or wheat in flower, a sheet of dark paper, a dry day.

Be safe: Never smell or taste the pollen. Some people sneeze from it. Wash your hands after touching plants.

  1. Find a grass or a cereal in flower. Look at its flowers. Are there bright petals?
  2. Hold the dark paper under a flower head.
  3. Tap the stalk with your finger.
  4. Look at the paper. What do you see?

What you will see: A fine dust falls on the paper. It is pollen. The flowers are small and dull. They make lots of pollen for the wind. If you see no dust, try another plant on another dry day.

If you cannot try it, this is what happens.
A grass flower head hangs over a strip of dark paper. Dots of dust fall from the flower head and lie on the paper. Labels: grass flower, dark paper, pollen dust.grass flowerdark paperpollen dust

A wrong idea many people have

All flowers need bees.

Why it feels right: We often see bees on flowers. So bees must be needed by every flower.

The test that breaks it: Find grass, maize, rice or wheat in flower. Look at its flowers. They are small and dull, with no bright petals. Hold dark paper under a flower head and tap the stalk. A fine dust falls on the paper. This pollen travels on the wind.

What is true: Many flowers use insects or birds. Grasses, maize, rice and wheat use the wind.

Key words

stamens
the parts of a flower that make pollen.
pollen
a fine dust that a flower needs to make seeds.
pollination
pollen reaching the sticky top of a flower of the same kind.
fruit
the part of a plant that holds the seeds.

Back to your guess

The answer is D: Flowers help a plant make seeds and fruit.

A flower is how many plants make seeds. After the flower comes the fruit, with seeds inside.

Check yourself

Try each one before you look. A wrong answer tells you where to go next.

  1. Look at the picture. Which letter shows the part that becomes the fruit?

    A flower cut open, with four parts marked by the letters A, B, C and D. Labels: A, B, C, D.ADBC
    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. A is a petal. Petals bring insects and birds. Try another.

    2. Not this one. B is a stamen. Stamens make pollen. Try another.

    3. Not this one. C is the sticky top. It catches pollen. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. The round base becomes the fruit. The seeds grow inside it.

    See the answer

    D

    The round base becomes the fruit. The seeds grow inside it.

    • If you chose A: A is a petal. Petals bring insects and birds.
    • If you chose B: B is a stamen. Stamens make pollen.
    • If you chose C: C is the sticky top. It catches pollen.

  2. What is pollination?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. Pollen travels from the stamens to the sticky top. Then seeds can grow.

    2. Not this one. That comes later. Pollination comes first, then the seeds grow. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Leaves make food. Pollination is about pollen and flowers. Go to S2.1.5. Try another.

    See the answer

    Pollen reaching the sticky top of a flower of the same kind

    Pollen travels from the stamens to the sticky top. Then seeds can grow.

    • If you chose B: That comes later. Pollination comes first, then the seeds grow.
    • If you chose C: Leaves make food. Pollination is about pollen and flowers. Go to S2.1.5.

  3. Why does a bee visit a flower?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. The bee wants nectar. Pollen sticks to it by accident. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Seeds grow inside the flower's base. The bee does not make them. Try another.

    3. Yes, that is right. The bee wants the nectar. Pollen sticks to its body. It carries the pollen to the next flower.

    See the answer

    For sweet nectar

    The bee wants the nectar. Pollen sticks to its body. It carries the pollen to the next flower.

    • If you chose A: The bee wants nectar. Pollen sticks to it by accident.
    • If you chose B: Seeds grow inside the flower's base. The bee does not make them.

  4. Which flower is most likely to use the wind?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Bright petals and nectar bring insects and birds. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. Wind flowers are small and dull. They make lots of pollen for the wind to blow.

    3. Not this one. Grasses, maize, rice and wheat use the wind. Many flowers need no bees. Try another.

    See the answer

    A small dull grass flower that makes a lot of pollen

    Wind flowers are small and dull. They make lots of pollen for the wind to blow.

    • If you chose A: Bright petals and nectar bring insects and birds.
    • If you chose C: Grasses, maize, rice and wheat use the wind. Many flowers need no bees.

  5. From an earlier chapter

    A seed has a coat, a food store and a tiny plant. What feeds the tiny plant at first?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. The tiny plant cannot make food yet. The food store feeds it first. Go to S2.1.2. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Pollen helps make the seed. It is not the seed's food store. Go to S2.1.2. Try another.

    3. Yes, that is right. The food store feeds the tiny plant. Later its leaves make food.

    See the answer

    The food store in the seed

    The food store feeds the tiny plant. Later its leaves make food.

    • If you chose A: The tiny plant cannot make food yet. The food store feeds it first. Go to S2.1.2.
    • If you chose B: Pollen helps make the seed. It is not the seed's food store. Go to S2.1.2.

  6. Draw a flower. Label the petal, the stamen and the part that becomes the fruit.

    See the answer

    A flower with a petal and a stamen. It has a sticky top. The round base is marked as the part that becomes the fruit.

    The round base becomes the fruit. The stamens make pollen.

  7. What do the bright petals of a flower do?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. Bright petals show insects and birds where the flower is. The visitors carry pollen to other flowers.

    2. Not this one. Green leaves make the food. Petals bring visitors to the flower. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Petals look nice to us. Their job is to bring insects and birds, which carry pollen. Try another.

    See the answer

    They bring insects and birds to the flower.

    Bright petals show insects and birds where the flower is. The visitors carry pollen to other flowers.

    • If you chose B: Green leaves make the food. Petals bring visitors to the flower.
    • If you chose C: Petals look nice to us. Their job is to bring insects and birds, which carry pollen.

  8. Look at the picture. The bee carries pollen between the flowers. Which letter shows the part that catches the pollen?

    Two flowers cut open with a bee between them. Four parts are marked by the letters A, B, C and D. Labels: A, B, C, D.ADBC
    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. A is a stamen. Stamens make pollen. They do not catch it. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. B is the sticky top of the second flower. Pollen sticks there. Then seeds can grow.

    3. Not this one. C is a petal. Petals bring visitors. They do not catch pollen. Try another.

    4. Not this one. D is the bee. It only carries the pollen from flower to flower. Try another.

    See the answer

    B

    B is the sticky top of the second flower. Pollen sticks there. Then seeds can grow.

    • If you chose A: A is a stamen. Stamens make pollen. They do not catch it.
    • If you chose C: C is a petal. Petals bring visitors. They do not catch pollen.
    • If you chose D: D is the bee. It only carries the pollen from flower to flower.

Keep it

Copy this into your exercise book.

Petals bring insects and birds. Stamens make pollen. Pollination is pollen reaching a sticky top. It comes from a flower of the same kind. Then seeds grow and the base swells into a fruit. Insects, birds and wind carry pollen.

Draw: A flower. Label petal, stamen, sticky top and the base that becomes fruit.

Reading with a child? A short page for the adult: what this chapter teaches and three questions to ask.

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