Flower
hideA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. The grouping of flowers on a plant are called the inflorescence.
In addition to serving as the reproductive organs of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans, mainly to beautify their environment but also as a source of food.
For more information about Flower, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with flowers
Bronze Age People Left Flowers at Grave
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Archaeologists from the Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen have found proof that pre-historic people laid flowers at the graves of their dead.
Should flowers be banned in hospitals?
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Does flower water harbour potentially deadly bacteria? Do bedside blooms compete with patients for oxygen? Do bouquets pose a health and safety risk around medical equipment?
Ancient 'monster' insect offers Halloween inspiration
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Just in time for Halloween, researchers have announced the discovery of a new, real-world "monster" - what they are calling a "unicorn" fly that lived about 100 million years ago and is being described as ...
US scientists plan greenhouses on the Moon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 15, 2009 |
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Astronauts' meals have come a long way from the freeze-dried powders and semi-liquid pastes of decades ago: now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini-greenhouses on the Moon.
Bumblebee flight 'triumph of power over finesse'
May 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Brute force rather than aerodynamic efficiency is the key to bumblebee flight, Oxford University scientists have discovered.
Getting a grip: 'Velcro'-like structure helps bees stick to flowers (w/Videos)
May 14, 2009 |
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When bees collect nectar, how do they hold onto the flower? Cambridge University scientists have shown that it is down to small cone-shaped cells on the petals that act like 'velcro' on the bees' feet.
Iridescence invisible to human eye enables bees to view flowers in different colours
Biology /
Jan 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Bees see some flowers in multicolour because of previously unknown iridescence of the petals, usually invisible to the human eye, researchers from the University of Cambridge report this week ...
Bees attracted by floral iridescence
Biology /
Jan 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Plants and their pollinators are the focus of ground-breaking research by Dr Heather Whitney, recently appointed Lloyds Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences. Her latest work, carried ...
Flowering lantana draws butterflies -- but little water
Sep 11, 2009 |
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Big color, little water, lots of butterflies. How does that sound? That's the story of lantana in a nutshell. But I'm famous for verbosely pontificating on the attributes of plants whenever I have an audience, so let's dig ...
Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol
Nov 20, 2009 |
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Surplus biomass from the production of flax shives, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol. This has be ...
Rare flowering of Chinese tree in Belgium
Aug 12, 2009 |
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An endangered Chinese tree has flowered in a Belgian arboretum, an event seldom seen anywhere in Europe, the garden's curator said Wednesday.
A cure for honey bee colony collapse?
Apr 14, 2009 |
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For the first time, scientists have isolated the parasite Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia) from professional apiaries suffering from honey bee colony depopulation syndrome. They then went on to treat the infection with comple ...
Lilies Deadly to Cats, Veterinarians Warn
Apr 03, 2009 |
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Lilies, a floral reminder that winter has passed, frequently appear in homes during spring holidays as potted plants or cut flowers. But for cats, many lilies can be as lethal as they are lovely.
Study of flower color shows evolution in action
Jun 29, 2009 |
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Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have zeroed in on the genes responsible for changing flower color, an area of research that began with Gregor Mendel's studies of the garden pea in the 1850's.
The tulip entered Europe through al-Andalus five centuries before believed
Apr 16, 2009 |
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A new study carried out at the University of Cordoba and the School of Arabic Studies provides information on the arrival of the flower to Europe. Contrary to what was thought up until now, the first bulbs ...
