Inside a flower

A flower is a plant's reproductive shoot. On the outside, green sepals protect the flower when it is a bud, and brightly coloured petals attract insects. Inside are the stamens, the male parts: each has a stalk called the filament topped by an anther that makes pollen. In the centre is the pistil (or carpel), the female part: the sticky stigma at the top catches pollen, the style is the stalk below it, and the swollen ovary at the base contains ovules, which become seeds after fertilisation. All the parts sit on the receptacle at the top of the flower stalk.