The Science of Flowers
In the scientific sense, flowers are the reproductive structures of plants, and they are vital to so many ecological systems across the globe. If there were no flowers, there would be no fruit and likely no human beings! The science of botany studies plants and is an incredibly deep subject. We’re going to do a really quick crash course by exploring the different parts of a flower and their functions. We’re going to look at all parts of a flower for kids who have a quizzical mind and a keen eye. Yes, there will be a pop quiz to test your knowledge at the end!
Flower Anatomy for Kids
Although they usually look somewhat small and simple, flowers are actually rather complex when you take the time to examine them in detail. They have many specialized parts that perform different functions to ensure their survival. For example, certain parts of the flower have reproductive functions, while others help to convert sunlight into energy or attract bugs to help with pollination. All of these different parts work together to help keep the plant healthy and alive.
Types of Flowers
- Imperfect Flower: An imperfect flower has either male parts or female parts, but never both. Examples include melon flowers and squash flowers. The two different kinds of imperfect flowers are staminate (which only have stamens) and pistillate (which only have pistils).
- Perfect Flower: On the other hand, a perfect flower has both male and female parts, which are the stamen and the ovary. Perfect flowers differ from imperfect flowers because since they have both female and male parts, they can reproduce on their own, while imperfect flowers require pollination from an outside source.
Parts
- Anther: The anther is a male part of the flower that lies within the stamen. It is the part that contains the flower’s pollen supply.
- Calyx: The calyx is made up of the flower’s sepals, and it is the green layer at the base of the flower. The calyx is a non-sexual flower part.
- Filament: The filament is a very thin part that connects the anthers to the body of the flower. This makes up the male part of the flower, called the stamen.
- Ovary: The ovary of a flower is the female reproductive part. When the ovule inside the ovary is fertilized, it grows into a fruit.
- Ovule: The ovule, also a female element, is a part inside the ovary that contains a small cell. When the cell is fertilized, it turns into a seed, which can then grow into a new plant.
- Peduncle: The peduncle is the slender stem that attaches the flower to the main plant, and it is a non-sexual part.
- Petal: Petals are the large colorful parts of the flower that we normally notice the most. Apart from their vivid colors, they also contain scented oils that help to attract insects. Petals are not sexual parts of the flower.
- Sepal: Sepals are the small green leaf-like structures that are found on the outside below the petals. Like the petals, sepals are neither male nor female.
- Stigma: When bees and insects drop pollen into a flower, the stigma is the top-most female part at the center of the flower that receives the pollen.
- Style: The style is a long tube that connects the flower’s stigma to the ovary. This female part usually has small hairs that help catch any tiny pollen grains that fall. The style helps guide the pollen directly to the ovary so that the ovules can become fertilized.
The Art of Flowers
Every arrangement has a depth of meaning and history, from the bouquet to the boutonnière. As a member of the Society of American Florists, we know how much art and finesse goes into each design. Here’s a short history of floristry to keep things in perspective!
A Quick History of Floristry and Flower Arranging
- ~2,500 B.C.E.: Ancient Egyptians during the Old Kingdom regularly arranged cut flowers in vases as simple table decorations. They also created massive flower arrangements for burials and funeral processions.
- ~200 B.C.E.: The Greeks and Romans loved garlands and wreaths and also popularized the cornucopia.
- ~600 C.E.: People in the Tang dynasty of China placed cut flowers on altars.
- ~700: The Japanese ambassador to China founded the world-famous school of floral art called Ikenobo.
- ~1500s: Floral decorations remained important in art and in the upper classes in Western culture continuously after the Renaissance. In Renaissance art, flower arrangement began to take on an intense degree of symbolism.
- ~1800s: The practice of giving floral gifts and the modern language of flowers really took off among the middle and lower classes in Europe during the Victorian era, with some of the first flower shops opening in the mid-1800s.
Examples of Styles of Floral Design
There have been dozens of styles of flower arrangements throughout history. Here are a few examples of the most popular and important styles history has to show us!
Ikebana
A Japanese word meaning “arranging flowers” or “making flowers alive,” this centuries-old art form is know for its striking minimalism and spiritual significance.
Baroque
With flowers arranged in an opulent and tall semi-ovoid mass, this style was popularized in the French court of Louis XIV.
This German painting, Small Bouquet of Flowers in a Ceramic Vase by Jan Brueghel the Elder, is a great example of Renaissance floral art.
Dutch
Typically styled as a symmetrical oval, this is the form flowers took in a great deal of popular art from the 1600s.
Vase with flowers in a window by Ambrosius Bosschaert is a great example of the still-life style that would become famous for the time period (1600s-1700s).
Rococo
This oval shape is tall and feminine, with no specific focal point. It dates back to the mid-1700s.
The painting Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn by Jan van Huysum depicts the Rococo style.
Waterfall/Cascade
Here is one of the more recent fashions! This cascading style, where the flowers seem to “drip” out of the bride’s hand, has become very popular for weddings in recent years.
This is an example of a relatively new, modern design: the “cascade” or “waterfall” bridal bouquet.
Modern Free-Form
Abstract, assemblage, creative line, and other forms of modernist flower arrangement bring the art form to the next level.
