How Does a Flower Make a Seed?

Flower Attracts Pollination

Flowering plants known as anthophyta are the largest group by type in the plant kingdom. They use their flowers, which are modified leaves, to attract or carry out pollination to manufacture seeds and propagate the species. The central reproductive structure in a flower is the pistil at the center of the flower that holds an ovary down at its base. The ovary contains an egg or the part of the seed that allows a new, young plant to replicate itself.

Pollination Spurs Ovary Growth

Pollen is created and held in the flower by the stamen and is considered the sperm or male counterpart to the plant egg held in the ovary. One or more pollen grains from the stamen of the same flower species gets rubbed or blown onto the pistil. This chemically triggers the growth of the egg in the ovary at the base of the pistil. The flower petals die back and the fertilized ovary grows to form one or many seeds and swells to create a protective coating around the seed. These coatings vary widely in size and structure among plant species. Pea pods, strawberries and pine cones are all examples of the fruit or protective coating that form around seeds.

Ovaries Create and Release Seed

Once the seeds are created and reach maturity, a duration of time that varies by species, the ovary begins to desiccate. When the ovary or its protective coating is completely dried, it breaks open or releases the seed or seeds to the ground or wind. The seeds will then land on soil, germinate and repeat the plant growth process.