A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms).
The female parts of a flower consist of an ovary, which contains one or more ovules, a style and the stigma. The ovary is at the base of the flower. From the ovary, extends a tubular structure called the style and on the top of the style is a surface receptive to pollen called the stigma. The stigma can take many different forms, most of them designed to help trap pollen. There are many variations on this basic structural theme. After fertilization the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary becomes the fruit.
The male parts of a flower consist of one or more stamens. Each stamen is made up of paired anthers (sacs containing pollen) on a filament or stalk. The anthers are the orange/yellow structures often seen in the centre of a flower. Pollen from the anthers of one flower is transferred to the stigma of another usually either by wind, or by animals, especially insects.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen (male gamete) from the anther to a stigma. Cross-pollination: pollen is transferred to the stigma of another plant. Increases genetic variation, population more resistant to environmental change.
Self-pollination: pollen transferred to the stigma of the same flower or a flower of the same plant. Guarantees reproduction if pollinating agent is absent or not efficient. Pollination can be accomplished by the wind or by animals. Insects are the most common animals that will pollinate a carpel.