ICSE · Grade 6

Ch. 2: Flower and Fruit

From flower to fruit to seed: structure of a flower, pollination (self & cross), agents (bee, wind, water, bird), fertilisation, fruit types and seed dispersal — with full interactive animations.

Quiz AI Tutor
Parts and four whorls of a flower Androecium and gynoecium Self and cross pollination Agents of pollination Fertilisation and fruit formation Types of fruits and seed dispersal
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🌸 From bloom → fruit → seed → new plant

Flower & Fruit lab

Watch bees pollinate, peel fruit layers, and see seeds fly. Every part of the chapter is animated.

Parts of a flower — tap a label

The flower is the reproductive shoot. It develops from a floral bud (terminal or axillary).

Tap a part

Petals attract insects. Sepals protect the bud. Stamens = male. Pistil = female.

  • Essential whorls: androecium + gynoecium (make gametes)
  • Non-essential: calyx + corolla (protect / attract)
  • Complete flower = all 4 whorls (e.g. hibiscus)

Four floral whorls (outside → inside)

1. Calyx Sepals · protect bud · often green
2. Corolla Petals · colour & scent · attract pollinators
3. Androecium Stamens · male · anther + filament
4. Gynoecium Pistil/carpels · female · stigma + style + ovary
Complete = all 4 present
Incomplete = missing a whorl
Pistillate = only female
Staminate = only male

Epicalyx: extra outer leaf-like whorl (hibiscus). Naked flower: no petals/sepals (e.g. bougainvillea uses bright bracts).

Male (stamen) & female (carpel)

Androecium — stamen
  • Anther — head with pollen sacs
  • Filament — stalk holding anther
  • Pollen grains — carry male gametes (sperm cells)
Gynoecium — carpel / pistil
  • Stigma — sticky landing pad for pollen
  • Style — tube connecting stigma → ovary
  • Ovary — holds ovules (→ seeds) with ovum (egg)

Pollination — pollen transfer

Pollination = transfer of pollen from anther → stigma. Then sperm can reach the egg → fertilisation → zygote.

Same flower / plant
Other plant
🐝
Self-pollination

Pollen stays on the same flower or same plant. Little pollen waste · offspring similar · less genetic variety.

  • Self → same genetics (less variation)
  • Cross → more genetic diversity
  • Cross uses wind, water, insects, birds

Agents of pollination — who does the job?

🐝
Insects

Entomophily · showy, scented flowers · sticky pollen

China-rose, sunflower

💨
Wind

Anemophily · dull flowers · light smooth pollen · feathery stigma

Maize, grass, pine

💧
Water

Hydrophily · aquatic plants · flowers above / floating

Vallisneria, Hydrilla

🐦
Birds

Ornithophily · red/orange · lots of nectar

Canna, Bird of Paradise

Tap an agent

Note: Maize has unisexual flowers on the same plant → monoecious. Male tassels at top, female ears lower down.

Life cycle animation: pollinate → fertilise → fruit → seed → plant

🌼
Flower
→
🐝
Pollination
→
🧬
Fertilisation
→
🍎
Fruit
→
🌱
Seedling
Flower

Attracts pollinators. Stamens make pollen; pistil holds ovules with egg cells.

Remember: Ovary → fruit · Ovule → seed · Fertilisation = fusion of male + female nuclei → zygote.

Fruit — ripened ovary

Epicarp (outer) Mesocarp (middle) Endocarp (inner) Seed

Pericarp = fruit wall (3 layers)

🥝🍅🍉
Berry

Fleshy · no stone · seeds in pulp

Kiwi, tomato, watermelon

🥭🥑
Drupe

Fleshy · central stone (pit)

Mango, plum, avocado

🍎🍐
Pome

False fruit · thalamus fleshy

Apple, pear

True fruit = from fertilised ovary. False fruit = other floral parts (e.g. apple thalamus).
Kitchen twist: brinjal, okra, tomato, bottle gourd are botanically fruits (from flower + seeds). Carrot/potato/spinach = vegetables (root/stem/leaf).

Seed dispersal — how seeds travel

Fruits protect seeds and help them spread so new plants don’t crowd the parent.

Wind

Light, wings, hair — drumstick, maple

Water

Float on water — coconut, some aquatic plants

Animals

Eat fleshy fruit · hooks on fur

Self / explosion

Pod bursts — milkweed, balsam

Fruit protects seeds
Fruit stores food / vitamins
Fruit helps seed dispersal
# Amazing facts 1. Honey is flower nectar processed by bees. 2. Cloves are dried **flower buds**. 3. One sunflower head is many tiny flowers. 4. Maize silk is a bundle of stigmas. 5. Coconut can cross oceans by floating. 6. Some pods explode and fling seeds metres away.
Interesting facts Common mistakes Vocabulary Revision notes

Topics in this chapter

  • What is a flower?
    Reproductive shoot from floral bud. Attracts pollinators. Makes gametes.…
  • Parts and four whorls
    Pedicel, thalamus, calyx, corolla, androecium, gynoecium.…
  • Androecium (male)
    Stamen = anther + filament. Pollen carries male gametes.…
  • Gynoecium (female)
    Stigma, style, ovary, ovules with egg cell.…
  • Pollination
    Self and cross. Transfer of pollen anther → stigma.…
  • Agents of pollination
    Insects, wind, water, birds — adaptations of flowers.…
  • Fertilisation to fruit
    Zygote forms; ovary → fruit; ovule → seed.…
  • Types of fruits
    Berry, drupe, pome. True vs false fruit. Pericarp layers.…
  • Seed dispersal
    Wind, water, animals, explosion. Fruit protects and spreads seeds.…

Philosophy check

  • What is this civilization?
  • Why was it advanced?
  • How did cities work?
  • Where do we still see these ideas?
  • Exams — what will be asked?