Flowers Gallery

Aster seed, SEM

Aster seed. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a seed from an aster flower (Aster sp.). The structures seen here are the cypsela (lower frame) and a large pappus (upper frame). The pappus aids in wind dispersal. The cypsela is a type of achene, a specialised dry fruit, and the actual seed is inside the cypsela. A seed contains an embryo (a fertilised ovule from which a new plant can grow), and a supply of food. Seed dispersal methods include being carried by the wind, or water or on animal coats, or being eaten and deposited in animal droppings. Aster flowers are mostly native to Eurasia, and are a popular garden plant. Magnification: x420 when printed 10 centimetres tall

© Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library

Cocoa pods

Cocoa pods growing on the branch of a cacao or chocolate tree (Theobroma cacao). The pods contain the cocoa beans (seeds) from which chocolate is made. The production of flowers and fruits directly on the trunk or branches of a plant is known as cauliflory and is common amongst rainforest plants. It may be associated with pollination or fruit dispersal by bats. Photographed in Grenada

© David Nunuk/Science Photo Library

Love in the mist flower (Nigella sp.)

Love in the mist flower (Nigella sp.). The seeds of the plant, known as black cumin, are used as a spice in cookery and also medicinally as a diuretic. This plant is also popular in dried flower arrangements

© LAWRENCE LAWRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

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