Reproduction in Plants: Flowers, Pollination and Fruits

<h3>The flower</h3><p>A typical flower has four main whorls. The <strong>sepals</strong> protect the bud, the <strong>petals</strong> attract pollinators, the <strong>stamens</strong> are the male parts, and the <strong>pistil (carpel)</strong> is the female part.</p><ul><li><strong>Stamen</strong> = anther (makes pollen) + filament (stalk).</li><li><strong>Pistil</strong> = stigma (receives pollen) + style + ovary (contains ovules).</li></ul><h3>Pollination</h3><p><strong>Pollination</strong> is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma. In <strong>self-pollination</strong> pollen lands on the stigma of the same flower; in <strong>cross-pollination</strong> it is carried to a different flower. The <strong>agents</strong> of pollination include wind, insects, water and birds.</p><h3>From flower to fruit</h3><p>After a pollen grain reaches the stigma it grows a tube down to the ovule, where <strong>fertilisation</strong> happens. The fertilised ovule becomes a <strong>seed</strong>, and the ovary develops into a <strong>fruit</strong> that protects the seeds and aids their dispersal.</p><div class="callout"><strong>Kenyan context:</strong> Mango and avocado farmers in counties like Murang'a and Makueni depend on bees to cross-pollinate their orchards. More bees usually means more fruit set, which is one reason beekeeping is encouraged alongside fruit farming.</div>