Sexual Reproduction In flowering Plants : Detail Explanation

The myriads of flowers that we enjoy gazing at, the scents and the perfumes that we swoon over, the rich colours that

attract us, are all there as an aid to sexual reproduction.

Flowers do not exist only for us to be used for our own selfishness. All flowering plants show sexual reproduction.

A look at the diversity of structures of the inflorescences, flowers and floral parts, shows an amazing range of

adaptations to ensure formation of the end products of sexual reproduction, the fruits and seeds. In this chapter, let us understand the morphology, structure and the processes of sexual reproduction in flowering plants (angiosperms).

Flowers are the seat of sexual reproduction in angiosperms. In the flower, androecium consisting of stamens represents the male reproductive

organs and gynoecium consisting of pistils represents the female reproductive organs.

A typical anther is bilobed, dithecous and tetrasporangiate. Pollen grains develop inside the microsporangia. Four wall layers, the epidermis, endothecium, middle layers and the tapetum surround the microsporangium. Cells of the sporogenous tissue lying in the centre of the microsporangium, undergo meiosis (microsporogenesis) to form tetrads of microspores. Individual microspores mature into pollen grains.