How to Dissect a Flower
Know your flower structure., Obtain your equipment., Cut the flower off the plant, if you haven't already., Remove the petals and sepals from the flower., Pin the flower to the dissection board., With your scalpel (or knife), cut the flower straight...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know your flower structure.
Whilst they come in many varieties with different positions for different structures, most flowers possess the same parts:
The distinctive petals are the most obvious part.
Their colors help attract insects to the plant and their large size helps them to land.
Many petals reflect ultraviolet light that humans cannot see, but makes them bright beacons for insects.
Sepals are the small, green leaf-like structures in between the petals and the stem.
Anthers, which appear as small, thin hairs poking out from inside, with yellow tips known as stamens, are the male reproductive organs of the plant, and have pollen on their tips.
Pollen is the male gamete in flowering plants, equivalent to the human sperm cell The stigma, which can be shorter or longer than the anthers, is the female reproductive organ and is the depository site for pollen.
Normally, insects brushing against the anthers will transfer some pollen to the stigma.
The pollen will burrow a tube through the stigma and into the ovary to fertilize eggs.
The gynoecium, which contains the ovary where eggs are produced, is a large, round segment.
It is sometimes within the petals, where it is known as superior, or below the sepals, where it is known as inferior.
It's the same on the inside, though
- unfertilized eggs are produced in the ovary within.
When pollen grains burrow all the way to the eggs, fertilization occurs, which eventually leads to the formation of seeds. -
Step 2: Obtain your equipment.
If you want to accurately dissect the flower, you'll need a scalpel, dissecting board and pins.
If you'd prefer to do it more simply at home, you can use a sharp knife, but you probably won't get as neat a cut.
If you have a spare bit of wood, you can use that as your dissecting board, and needles as pins.
Otherwise, you could try cutting it on a chopping board, but it might be hard to stop it from moving, and there's also a risk of injury with the lessened precision. , Be careful to leave a bit of the stem, you don't want to cut through the gynoecium accidentally. , They can be plucked by hand, but be careful not to take off more than the petals. To remove them, pull them down towards the stem. , Place one pin in the very tip of the stigma, and place the other pin in the stem at the bottom of the flower.
This will hold it in place and stop it from moving while you cut.
If you don't have the equipment, you can use needles and a spare piece of wood. , Start at the tip of the stigma, move down through the gynoecium, and finally end at the stem at the bottom.
Try to make as straight a cut as you can, as a tidier cut will make things easier to see.
This is where having a scalpel helps.
The pins will also get in the way at the top and bottom, so remove them when you're ready to cut through. , You should easily be able to see where the anthers, petals and sepals join to the base of the flower.
The ovary should now be exposed, and there may be seeds or ovules visible.
These can be extracted and viewed under a magnifying glass if you so wish. -
Step 3: Cut the flower off the plant
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Step 4: if you haven't already.
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Step 5: Remove the petals and sepals from the flower.
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Step 6: Pin the flower to the dissection board.
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Step 7: With your scalpel (or knife)
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Step 8: cut the flower straight down the middle.
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Step 9: Observe the internal structure.
Detailed Guide
Whilst they come in many varieties with different positions for different structures, most flowers possess the same parts:
The distinctive petals are the most obvious part.
Their colors help attract insects to the plant and their large size helps them to land.
Many petals reflect ultraviolet light that humans cannot see, but makes them bright beacons for insects.
Sepals are the small, green leaf-like structures in between the petals and the stem.
Anthers, which appear as small, thin hairs poking out from inside, with yellow tips known as stamens, are the male reproductive organs of the plant, and have pollen on their tips.
Pollen is the male gamete in flowering plants, equivalent to the human sperm cell The stigma, which can be shorter or longer than the anthers, is the female reproductive organ and is the depository site for pollen.
Normally, insects brushing against the anthers will transfer some pollen to the stigma.
The pollen will burrow a tube through the stigma and into the ovary to fertilize eggs.
The gynoecium, which contains the ovary where eggs are produced, is a large, round segment.
It is sometimes within the petals, where it is known as superior, or below the sepals, where it is known as inferior.
It's the same on the inside, though
- unfertilized eggs are produced in the ovary within.
When pollen grains burrow all the way to the eggs, fertilization occurs, which eventually leads to the formation of seeds.
If you want to accurately dissect the flower, you'll need a scalpel, dissecting board and pins.
If you'd prefer to do it more simply at home, you can use a sharp knife, but you probably won't get as neat a cut.
If you have a spare bit of wood, you can use that as your dissecting board, and needles as pins.
Otherwise, you could try cutting it on a chopping board, but it might be hard to stop it from moving, and there's also a risk of injury with the lessened precision. , Be careful to leave a bit of the stem, you don't want to cut through the gynoecium accidentally. , They can be plucked by hand, but be careful not to take off more than the petals. To remove them, pull them down towards the stem. , Place one pin in the very tip of the stigma, and place the other pin in the stem at the bottom of the flower.
This will hold it in place and stop it from moving while you cut.
If you don't have the equipment, you can use needles and a spare piece of wood. , Start at the tip of the stigma, move down through the gynoecium, and finally end at the stem at the bottom.
Try to make as straight a cut as you can, as a tidier cut will make things easier to see.
This is where having a scalpel helps.
The pins will also get in the way at the top and bottom, so remove them when you're ready to cut through. , You should easily be able to see where the anthers, petals and sepals join to the base of the flower.
The ovary should now be exposed, and there may be seeds or ovules visible.
These can be extracted and viewed under a magnifying glass if you so wish.
About the Author
Melissa Armstrong
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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