Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary terms related to the sexual reproduction processes in flowering plants.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that undergo sexual reproduction.

Pollination

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

Autogamy

Pollination achieved within the same flower.

Geitonogamy

Transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of another flower of the same plant.

Xenogamy

Transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of a different plant.

Cleistogamous Flowers

Flowers that do not open and achieve self-pollination.

Androecium

The male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of stamens.

Gynoecium

The female reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of pistils.

Microspogenesis

The process of formation of microspores from pollen mother cells through meiosis.

Double Fertilization

The process in which one male gamete fuses with the egg cell and another fuses with polar nuclei.

Endosperm

Nutritional tissue formed after fertilization that supports embryo development.

Embryo Sac

The female gametophyte in flowering plants, usually containing 8 nuclei and 7 cells.

Parthenocarpic Fruits

Fruits that develop without fertilization, resulting in seedless fruits.

Apomixis

A form of asexual reproduction that mimics sexual reproduction in flowering plants.

Polyembryony

The occurrence of more than one embryo in a seed.

Sporopollenin

A resistant organic material that makes up the outer wall of pollen grains.

Stigma

The part of the pistil that serves as a landing platform for pollen.

Style

The elongated part of the pistil that connects the stigma to the ovary.

Ovary

The part of the flower that develops into fruit and contains ovules.

Microsporangium

The structure in which pollen grains develop, typically located in the anther.

Filiform Apparatus

Specialized cellular structures located in the synergids that guide pollen tubes during fertilization.