LABORATORY 2: Flowers
INTRODUCTION
The goal of this laboratory exercise is to familiarize you with flowers, their structure, variation, and importance to
the plant. By the end of today’s laboratory exercise you should be able to recognize and identify the parts of a flower
and to briefly describe their importance to the life of a flowering plant. Through the study of flower morphology,
you will also become accustomed to the correct use of a dissecting microscope.
THE MICROSCOPE
Becoming familiar with its use will make the whole experience much more pleasant--you will see more and you
won't become fatigued doing it.
1. Eye-strain can be avoided by insuring that your microscope is properly adjusted for YOUR eyes. Set up your
scope so that it receives bright light from the lamp. Focus, at highest magnification, on the end of your teasing needle.
Shut your left eye and focus with the main focus adjustment; then shut your right eye and focus with the adjustment
on the left objective. Do this every time you use the scope. Use the zoom ring or dial to increase or decrease the magnification.
2. You are responsible for your immediate working area! At the end of each lab period, be certain that: 1) your
scope is clean and covered , 2) your bench space is clean and free of plant material (fresh material can go in the
compost bucket), and 3) your table lamp is OFF.
ACTIVITY
Carefully EXAMINE all floral material provided using the following exercise and questions as a guideline. To gain
an ultimate familiarity with floral morphology, compare the material against descriptions and definitions in your
lecture notes or textbook. Become familiar with cross and long sections.
1. Flowers are arranged in groups called inflorescences. We will examine some inflorescences particular to
certain families later in the semester. For now, know what an inflorescence is and which one we looked at today.
2. DRAW a longitudinal section of a typical flower labeling the following parts: receptacle, calyx, sepals, corolla,
petals, perianth, pedicel, ovary, ovule, style, stigma, pistil, gynoecium, anther, filament, stamen, and
androecium.
3. EXAMINE by dissection the floral material provided making long and cross sections of the flower and its parts.
On a separate sheet of paper, SKETCH the flowers and label the parts. Then, FOR EACH FLOWER, answer the
following questions:
A. Is the flower actinomorphic (regular) or zygomorphic (irregular)?
B. How many sepals are present? Petals? Stamens? Carpels? To count carpels, count the style branches and/or
count the zones of placentation by cross- sectioning the ovary.
C. Is the ovary inferior or superior?
D. Is the flower from a monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plant?
E. Is the flower perfect (both sexes present) or imperfect? Complete (all four floral whorls) or incomplete?
MATERIAL TO BE EXAMINED (You can refer to the web page for additional images. You
should draw the flowers and their parts for you own reference.
1. Gladiolus- cultivated- Iridaceae - Gladiola or Alstroemeria - cultivated Liliaceae
In Gladiolus, each flower is subtended by 2 green bracts. These are not the sepals. The sepals
and petals and are similar in color and texture--i.e., there are no solid green sepals. These
are slightly zygomorphic flowers with 3 sepals and 3 petals. The sepals are free (not united),
and so are the petals , but there may be some fusion of petals to sepals. Gladiolus has 3
stamens adnate to the corolla and one style with 3 branches. Alstroemeria has 6 stamens.
The ovary is inferior, with 3 carpels. Placentation is axile and the fruit will be a capsule.
Note the monocot plan of having floral parts in 3's.
3. Sesbania Fabaceae--Rattlebush
These zygomorphic flowers are borne on slender pedicels. The calyx is briefly united below
into a small cup with 5 teeth representing the 5 sepals. The petals are not all alike--there is
one large petal (the banner), two smaller side petals (the wings), and two small, fused petals
which together form the keel. This arrangement is termed papilionaceous and is typical of the
bean family. There are 10 stamens, 9 united briefly basally and a 10th which is free. This
condition is called diadelphous. The ovary is superior and consists of one slim carpel. The
fruit will be a legume . This flower shape is typical of most of the important crop plants in
the Fabaceae.
4. Solanum
Solanaceae--Nightshade, Trompillo or Cestrum–-Solanaceae
These flowers are usually regular and have 5 sepals and 5 petals. Occasionally, though,
there are extra parts, which may be smaller. There are 5 stamens grouped around the
style but not fused to it or each other. In Solanum, the anthers open in an interesting
fashion--they open by pores at the tips rather than by splitting lengthwise. The ovary
consists of two carpels. It has two locules, which may be observable in older flowers. The
fruit resembles a small yellow tomato.
5. Helianthus annuus - wild type (Asteraceae) - Sunflower
Note that what appears to be a single flower is actually an inflorescence consisting of
many small flowers. This type of inflorescence is called a HEAD or CAPITULUM. This
feature is diagnostic of the Asteraceae, the largest of dicot families. Heads take several
forms, although all types are usually subtended by a cluster of bracts known as phyllaries
. This type - the radiate head - features fertile flowers (disc florets) with actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
corollas in the center and zygomorphic flowers (ray florets) that are non-functional reproductively around
the margin.
Floral structure - disc floret : The calyx is represented by two awns placed on top of the ovary near
the point of attachment to the corolla tube. The calyx is highly specialized and variable in this family
(sometimes absent), and the term 'calyx' is replaced by the term PAPPUS for this family. The tubular,
sympetalous corolla has 5 lobes (5 petals involved), 5 stamens are attached to the corolla (epipetalous)
and fused by their anthers (synantherous). The single style with two style branches comes up through
the middle of the anther tube. While there is only a single locule and seed in the ovary, the two stigma
lobes indicate a syncarpous gynoecium made up of two carpels. These flowers are fertile and will set fruit.
Floral structure - ray floret: The corolla here is also sympetalous (5 petals fused), but the product of
this fusion is a zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical), straplike ligule structure that serves to attract
pollinators. A close examination of a ray floret shows no androecium or style and a reduced ovary that
will not set fruit.
6. Sorghum Poaceae--Johnsongrass or Chasmanthium –Inland Sea Oats
Grass family flowers (florets) are very reduced. There is no calyx and no proper corolla.
Instead, each floret is subtended by two bracts, the lemma (outer) and palea (inner.)
There are 2 or 3 stamens, and 2 or 3 feathery style branches. The basic unit of the grass
inflorescence is the spikelet, which consists of one or more florets with their lemmas
and paleas, and two sterile bracts called glumes. The florets and spikelets are modified
for wind pollination. The fruit is a caryopsis or grain. We will study grasses in more
detail at a later date.
"Vegetables" and spices of Floral origin--Complete the chart
Common name
Artichoke
Genus
Specific Epithet
Family
(For Class–M= monocot, D= dicot)
Class
Part Eaten
Inflorescence-- fruit
will be achenes at
maturity
Broccoli
Immature
Flower
Buds
Cauliflower
Immature
Inflorescence
Cloves
Flower Bud
Hops
Dried Female
Inflorescence
Saffron
Stigmas
Origin
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW-- Refer to lecture notes, handouts, and the laboratory activity.
1. What purposes do flowers serve?
2. What is the difference between a monoecious and a dioecious plant in terms of their flowers?
3. What is a fruit? What is a mature ovary?
4. What is a seed? What is a mature ovule?
5. What is the difference between an ovule and a seed?
6. What are two ways to count the number of carpels present in a pistil? What is a carpel?
7. What is the difference between a perfect and a imperfect flower?
8. What is a gynoecium? What is an androecium?
9. What is a pollinium? We saw pollinia in two different flowers, those of the Asclepiadaceae and
Orchidaceae families. What is the purpose of the pollinium in the life histories of these plants?
10. A sunflower may look like a single flower, but it is definitely not. Exactly what is a sunflower?
11. What is a zygomorphic (irregular) flower? What is an actinomorphic (regular) flower?
12. A Gladiolus flower is quite large and showy. A grass flower is small, inconspicuous, and
non-showy. Based on this information, what can you say about the pollination of each of these?
13. Be able to name and count flower parts if given a fresh flower.
14. What is a complete flower? What is an incomplete flower?
15. Where are pollen grains produced and from where are they released?
16. Name the parts of a flower which make up the pistil.
17. What is a compound pistil? What is a simple pistil?
18. Why do you think a sunflower inflorescence so strongly resembles a flower? What purpose, in
terms of the evolution of such a structure, might this type of inflorescence serve?
19. Name the parts which make up a stamen.
20. Know the difference between a longitudinal section and a transverse (cross) section; for example,
of an ovary.
21. Know how to properly adjust a dissecting microscope.
22. We have now covered the vegetative and floral parts of the typical flowering plant. Make a table
which contrasts the vegetative and floral characters of monocots and dicots.