A flower can become a fruit — Biology, 4–6 years
Some flowers have a part that can develop into a fruit. After pollen reaches the right place in the flower, the flower may fade while the young fruit grows.
A flower can start a fruit
A flower is not always only something colourful to look at. In some plants, after pollen reaches the right part, the flower’s base begins to swell and becomes a young fruit. The fruit protects seeds as they develop, so a flower can be the beginning of both fruit and new plants.
Why does a flower need pollen?
The parts that make seeds are inside a flower, but they need pollen from the right kind of plant part to begin the process. Pollen may be carried by bees, other insects, wind or sometimes birds. This solves the problem of joining the flower’s parts so seeds can start to form.
From apple blossom to apple
1. An apple tree grows a pink-and-white blossom. 2. A bee visits and pollen sticks to its body. 3. The bee visits another apple blossom and pollen reaches the right place. 4. The blossom fades, its base swells and a small apple appears. 5. The apple grows and its seeds mature inside.
The trap: every flower becomes a fruit
It is reasonable to think every flower must become a fruit, because we often see flowers and fruit on the same plant. But some flowers do not receive the needed pollen, some plants make flowers for other jobs, and some fruits begin in ways that are not easy to see. Look carefully at the kind of plant.
Flowers and food
Apples, pears, tomatoes and strawberries all begin as flowers, although the visible fruit does not always grow from the same flower part. Gardeners attract helpful insects by growing different flowers and avoiding harm to them. When you eat a fruit, you can look for its seeds and remember where its story began.
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