portion called androecium) produce male sex cells in the pollen grain. Carpels (female portion, called Gynoecium) produce female sex cells in ovules inside ovaries. Carpels have three main parts, one to receive the pollen called as stigma, one for passage of compatible male sex cells called the style and the other part where fusion of male and female sex cells occur to form zygote, is the ovary.
Transfer of pollen grains from anther to stigma of the same flower is called self-pollination. Ex: Pea plant. We can see this type of pollination in plants like those of the pea family. Try to find out some other plants that are self-pollinating types.
Are there any observable characters that help you to find out whether a plant is self-pollinating type or not? The illustrations given here will help you. If anthers are present below the stigma of the carpel.
How does the male reproductive cells reach the female reproductive cells in flowers of such plants?
You have studied in earlier classes that how birds and insects help plants as agents of pollination.
What happens in plants that carry the female reproductive structure or the male reproductive structure borne in separate flowers? Remember the flowers of bottle gourd you studied in earlier classes.
When pollen grains of a flower are transferred to the stigma of different flower on the same plant or different plant of the same species, this type of pollination is called cross pollination. Ex: Bottle gourd, Ridged gourd, Maize
Do you know what is self-pollination?
Let us now observe some smaller parts that are involved in the process of reproduction in plants. The male reproductive part or the stamen consists of some sac like structures at its head bearing small ball like structures. We can easily observe these structures called pollen with the help of hand lens. The pollen grain reach the female reproductive part and fertilize the egg to form a zygote.