Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and their definitions related to sexual reproduction in flowering plants.

Flower

The reproductive structure found in flowering plants that facilitates sexual reproduction.

Inflorescence

A group or cluster of flowers on a single stem.

Stamen

The male reproductive part of a flower, consisting of the filament and anther.

Pistil

The female reproductive part of a flower, consisting of the stigma, style, and ovary.

Microsporangium

A structure within the anther that produces microspores, which develop into pollen grains.

Pollen Grain

The male gametophyte of seed plants, consisting of a two-layered wall with a vegetative and a generative cell.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of a flower.

Autogamy

Self-pollination where pollen from the same flower fertilizes the ovule.

Xenogamy

Cross-pollination, wherein pollen is transferred from one plant to another.

Double Fertilization

A unique process in angiosperms where one sperm fertilizes the egg to form a zygote and another sperm fuses with two polar nuclei to form the endosperm.

Embryo Sac

The female gametophyte in seed plants, containing the egg cell and other nuclei necessary for fertilization.

Endosperm

Tissue produced during double fertilization that provides nourishment to the developing embryo.

Apomixis

A mode of asexual reproduction in plants that mimics sexual reproduction, resulting in seed formation without fertilization.

Polyembryony

The occurrence of multiple embryos developing from a single fertilized ovule.

Chalaza

The region in the ovule opposite the micropyle, involved in the nutrition of the embryo sac.

Micropyle

A small opening in the ovule that allows the pollen tube to enter during fertilization.