Getting accustomed to geranium flower parts is important for the geranium lover, but even more for the geranium hybridizer. Just like us, geranium flowers are made of several “body” parts and each of these parts have a name. While all flowers are generally made of the same parts, where these parts are exactly located and sometimes what shape they take can be sometimes a challenge to recognize. Geranium flower parts are fortunately not very complicated to study as geranium flower parts are easy to find and distinguish.
Geranium Flower Parts
Flowers, also referred to as blooms or blossoms, are simply the reproductive structure of plants. All plants known for producing flowers and seeds are referred to as “angiosperms.” The term was coined in 1690 by German botanist Paul Hermann. It derives from the Greek word “angeion” meaning “vessel” and “spermos,” meaning “seed.”
The anatomy of flowers can be divided into two distinct parts: the vegetative parts and the reproductive parts. Below we will take a look at geranium flower parts and we will also take a look at other parts of geranium plants.
The Vegetative Parts
The vegetative parts include the petals and other structures that include the corolla (which includes many petals often in attractive colors to attract bugs which aid in pollination), and the calyx (which includes several units known as sepals).
Sepals are green, leaf-like unit that enclose the flower in the bud stage. Sepals provide protection to the the flower when in the bud, and support for the petals once opened. The term sepal was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790.
The term sepal derives from the Greek word “skepi” meaning covering. Collectively the sepals are referred to as the calyx, which derives from the Greek word kalyx, meaning a husk or wrapping. Once the geranium flower is done blooming, the spent flower along with its petals and sepals wilts.
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The calyx (the sepals) and the corolla (the petals) together form what is known as the perianth. The perianth surrounds and protects the flower’s reproductive parts. Not many people are aware that petals and sepals are simply modified leaves. The pedicel instead is stalk supporting a single flower.
The Reproductive Parts
Geraniums have flowers that have “male” and “female” parts within the same flower. The scientific term for this characteristic is hermaphrodite.
The reproductive part of a geranium flower encompasses the male parts consisting of stamens, which include a stalk-like structure known as filament ending with an anther covered with pollen. When the pollen is ripe, it will be typically fluffy and rich yellow or orange in color and it will come off easily.
Generally, geraniums have seven stamens of unequal length with five that are long and two that are short.
The female parts consist of the pistil which comprises the stigma, the style and the ovary. The style which is a tube-like structure, ends at the top with the stigma and at the bottom connects to the ovary. The stigma is composed of several stigmatic papillae, which are cells receptive to pollen. At the most fertile time, the stigma will be covered with a sticky substance which will help the pollen adhere. This substance also works as an attractant for pollinating insects.
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Once the pollen attaches to the stigma, as proven by Giovanni Battista Amici in 1830, a pollen tube grows, allowing two sperm nuclei to travel down and one of them unites with the egg nucleus producing a zygote. The other sperm nucleus instead unites with two polar nuclei producing an endosperm nucleus. The fertilized ovule then develops into a seed. The ovary of course is a very important part as it contains and protects the developing seeds.
Did you know? In 1793, Sprengel established that most hermaphroditic flowers are unable to be fertilized by their own pollen because their reproductive organs do not reach maturity simultaneously (as it happens with geraniums).
And What About Other Parts?
Geraniums of course, aren’t solely made up of flowers. Just like other plants, geraniums are blessed with appealing leaves and other important parts. Getting accustomed to these parts is advantageous, not only to satiate curiosity, but also for the purpose of understanding exactly what parts of a plant are being described in articles and books.
Of course, we have the roots which are anchored into dirt. The roots are meant to take in water and nutrients from the soil. Then, above the dirt, there is the stem. The main function of the stem is to provide support to the geranium’s leaves, flowers and seeds.
Leaves instead are there to photosynthesize (carbon dioxide is absorbed through the pores and oxygen is released) and such leaves therefore feed the plant with nutrients. Leaves connect to the stem through a leaf stalk that attaches the leaf to the plant and is known as petiole. A small appendage at the base of the petiole may be found and this is called a stipule.
The angle formed between the upper side of the stem and a leaf is known as axil. Sometimes a bud may form here, and when it does, it is called an axillary bud. The node is an area of branching of leaves, while the internode is the area between the branching.
At the opposite side of the roots, right atop the stem is the terminal bud. Also known as apical bud, this is the main area of growth in geranium plants.
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