Grade Six Science

Have you had a great week back at school? How well did you do at your NGSA Mock Exam 1? Do continue to revise and to be focused.

We have been looking at different parts of the plant. We have looked at the roots, the stems and the leaves. We will now look at the flowers found on plants.

Do you like flowers? Flowers are very special. They can be found in many shapes, colours and sizes. They also can be recognised by their various scents.

Aren't flowers lovely? Yes, they can be found everywhere - in your yard, on the road side, at school, at home, at church, on mountains, in the forest, near to the creek,... everywhere. We sometimes give flowers as gifts. What is a collection of flowers called? Yes we say a bunch or bouquet of flowers. Call up a friend and agree to list the names of as many flowers as you can, then compare answers. Who listed the most names? Put this list in your Science scrap book.

Look at the flowers in the pictures above. Do you know them? Try to identify them along with another person. Look around and identify as many flowers as you can.

A flower is a special part coming off from the shoot. This special organ exists mainly for the purpose of reproduction.

Let's examine the parts of the flower. Look at the hibiscus.

We see that flower petals can be free or fused. Flowers can be arranged in several ways on the stem.

(a)on some plants they grow separately (b)on other plants they grow in clusters

In some flower clusters, individual flowers grow at the end of short branch stems known as stalks. In other clusters, the individual flowers are without stalks and are borne directly on the stem itself.

Flowers have four main parts: sepals, petals, stamens and pistils. The floral parts are attached to the receptacle. Look for these parts in the flowers you picked. Observe them on the diagram below.

We can see the petals. They are often what we see first. Most flowers that we see have brightly colored petals. The petals are attached to the receptacle. The hibiscus for example, has five petals which together form the corolla. These petals are large and brightly coloured, the most conspicuous part of the flower. Many flowers are also scented. The petals of the hibiscus are free (individual), unlike the petals of the morning glory, where the petals are fused/ joined.

These petals are fused to form a tube. Try to find flowers with and without free petals. List them.