Flower

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A 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

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A cure for honey bee colony collapse?

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 14, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (15) | comments 2

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 ...


Bumblebee flight 'triumph of power over finesse'

Bumblebee flight 'triumph of power over finesse'

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 07, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (12) | comments 13

(PhysOrg.com) -- Brute force rather than aerodynamic efficiency is the key to bumblebee flight, Oxford University scientists have discovered.


A Moon based green house

US scientists plan greenhouses on the Moon

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Apr 15, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (11) | comments 1

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.


Ancient 'monster' insect offers Halloween inspiration

Ancient 'monster' insect offers Halloween inspiration

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (9) | comments 0

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 ...


Bronze Age People Left Flowers at Grave

Bronze Age People Left Flowers at Grave

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (8) | comments 0

(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.


Bees attracted by floral iridescence

Bees attracted by floral iridescence

Biology /

created Jan 09, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 1

(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 ...


Bee

Iridescence invisible to human eye enables bees to view flowers in different colours

Biology /

created Jan 05, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 3

(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 ...


The tulip entered Europe through al-Andalus five centuries before believed

The tulip entered Europe through al-Andalus five centuries before believed

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 16, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

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 ...


Study of flower color shows evolution in action

Study of flower color shows evolution in action

Biology / Evolution

created Jun 29, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 3

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.


Scent on demand: Scientists enhance the scent of flowers

Biology /

created Oct 06, 2008 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

A team of scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found a way to genetically enhance the scent of flowers and implant a scent in those that don't have one.


Lilies Deadly to Cats, Veterinarians Warn

Biology / Other

created Apr 03, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

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 predicts effect of global warming on spring flowers

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Sep 17, 2009 | popularity 2.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

An international study involving Monash University mathematician Dr Malcolm Clark has been used to demonstrate the impact of global warming and to predict the effect further warming will have on plant life.


Paleontologist reflects on Darwinian connections

Paleontologist reflects on Darwinian connections

Biology /

created Jan 30, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- As the former director and chief executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in England, Sir Peter Crane often walked in the footsteps of Charles Darwin.


A flower from the Emmenopterys henryi tree

Rare flowering of Chinese tree in Belgium

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 12, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

An endangered Chinese tree has flowered in a Belgian arboretum, an event seldom seen anywhere in Europe, the garden's curator said Wednesday.


Sex life of plants reveals conflicts between the sexes

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 08, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

The pollen grains of male plants live in great competition. A grain of pollen that succeeds in manipulating the flower’s pistil can emerge victorious from the struggle. This is shown by new research from Lund University in ...