Parts of a flower

Here's a very basic refresher on the common features of a flower, and the function they serve:

• Anther - the part of a flower that produces and stores pollen. It is usually made up of two lobes, each containing a pair of pollen sacs.  The anther can usually be found at the end of a stalk called a filament. Together, these comprise the stamen, which is the male reproductive part of the flower.
• Calyx - the leafy structure which protects a bud as it develops. The calyx is made up of sepals. When a flower opens, the sepals, which are usually green, often stay on the flower.
• Filament - in a stamen, the stalk which holds up the anther.
• Nectar - the main reward a flower provides to a pollinator. It contains sugars and is very sweet, and is produced by the nectary.
• Ovary - the most protected part of a flower, usually not visible unless you dissect a flower. The ovary produces seeds, and when pollen reaches the ovary, fertilisation occurs. At this stage, the ovary will develop into a fruit. The fruit protects the seeds, and helps with seed dispersal by various means, for example by attracting birds and other animals to eat the fruit and pass the seeds out afterwards.
• Petals - their primary functions are to attract pollinators and to protect the flower's reproductive organs in the centre. The scientific name for petals is corolla.
• Pistil - the collective name for the female reproductive parts of a flower. The pistil is usually made up of the stigma, which is the top and most visible part, the ovary, which is often hidden and protected deep inside the flower, and is where seeds are produced, and the style, a tube like structure connecting the stigma to the ovary.
• Pollen - the microscopic grains produced in the anther. These carry the male reproductive cells which are necessary for fertilisation. Fertilisation occurs upon pollination of a flower (often on another flower or plant of the same type).
• Sepals - these enclosed the developing bud, then go on to support the petals, and subsequently the fruit. They also help to protect the flower from the elements, and from drying out. Collectively, the individual sepals comprise the calyx of a flower.
• Stamen - the male reproductive parts of the flower, usually comprised of the anther, which is the part at the tip where pollen is produced, and the filament, which is the little stalk that supports the anther. The number of stamens in a flower can vary greatly.
• Stigma - the part of the pistil where fertilisation takes place. The stigma traps compatible pollen grains, which then make their way down a pollen tube in the style, towards the ovary.
• Style - the part of the pistil which holds the stigma in place. Inside the style is a pollen tube, which helps the pollen to travel from the stigma to the ovary.

As a nature lover, you of course know that there are numerous weird and wonderful exceptions to the norm. 

But having a general understanding of these common features can help with observing them in flowers you're drawing and painting, and also pique your interest to find out more about a flower when its anatomy appears different to what you might expect!

This Help Doc features in the course: Realistic Flower Centres in Watercolour