Proper Names For Plants

Have you ever used the term what-cha-ma-call-it, or something similar when you didn't know the name of the thing you were trying to describe? And when you are trying to describe a particular part of a thing to someone else, it is helpful to know the correct name for that part. We are familiar with roots, stems and leaves, but the other parts of a plant are less well known.

The flower is usually the showiest or most noticeable part of the plant designed for producing one or more seeds. Flowers start out as buds, small versions of the flower tightly wrapped together and maybe showing a tiny hint of the color to come. The tiny green leaves that surround the bud are called sepals. As the bud matures, it opens and individual petals can be seen. Petals are the highly colored parts of the flower.

Inside the petal, there are stamens and pistils. Pistils are the female part of the plant and are located in the center of the flower. At the bottom of the pistil is the ovary. This is the part that develops into a seed after the flower has been pollinated. Stamens are the male part of the plant that holds the pollen. Stamens are made up of filaments and anthers. The filament holds the anther up in the air so that visiting insects can brush against the pollen and then carry it to another flower. In some plants the pollen is carried to another flower by the wind. We also can pick up pollen when we brush against a plant. Those who suffer from allergies are painfully aware of when pollen is being produced and moved by the wind.

On a lily it is easy to see all these parts. On a rose however, you have to look close to see the tiny yellow anthers in the very middle of the flower. Usually the part of the flower that is a different color from the petals is the area that contains the stamen and pistil.

Some flowers are designated as complete types because they have all the previously described parts. Other flowers have some but not all of these parts and are designated as incomplete. These flowers need the help of insects, animals or the wind in order to move the pollen to the next bloom and allow the seed making process to begin.

Once the pollen has arrived at the ovary, the seed is formed. The seed contains the DNA needed to start a new plant. Seeds are often contained in hulls for protection or in a fleshy container to attract animals to eat them and so move the seed to a new location. Many of our favorite fruits and vegetables consist of seeds which we usually do not eat and wonderful tasting flesh that surrounds them that we know as apples, pears, strawberries, etc., as well as cucumbers, squash and eggplants. The hull or seed coat may also keep the seed from diseases and from getting wet before the time is right for germination.

And each seed is made up of separate parts as well. When we eat cereal or bread, we are eating all or part of the wheat seed or berry. The endosperm is a built-in food supply to help the seed get started. The white flour that we use for bread is the endosperm of the wheat seed. The outer coating or hull is what we find in our bran cereal. Wheat germ is the germinating part of the seed. When the shell or seed coat is opened but not separated from the white part, the result is cracked or whole wheat flour. See the diagram to help with the name of whatcha-ma-call-it.