Plant dissection

fresh lilies

The lily flower is one of my favourite flowers specimens to use for flower dissection. It has large petals, with nectar markings found on most petals. The anthers and stigmas are large and easily observable.

And of course, many lilies in a Biology Laboratory just makes it smell like such a wonderful place!

external features of a lily half-flower

The petals of this lily flower are darker pink, with less visible nectar markings.

The carpel (single stigma, style and ovary) is found in the middle of the flower, surrounded by the stamens.

external features of a lily half-flower

The petals of this lily flower are light pink, and has the presence of visible nectar guides on the surface of the petals.

Like the previous specimen, it also originally has 6 stamens and 1 carpel in the middle of the flower.

nectar guides

The dark pink patches on the petal are likely to be nectar guides, which function as a sign post to inform pollinators that nectary is nearby!

stamens

Stamens include the anther and filament component of the flower.

When the anther is mature, it will release pollen grains, as seen in this photo.

Observing pollen grains (from the liliy flower) under a light microscope

When the anthers are mature, they will split open, thus releasing the pollen grains. Students caught a few of these pollen grains and prepared a wet mount to examine the external features of the lily pollen grain.

both pollen brains have a relatively rough surface.

single pollen grain, with surface relatively rough too.

Myself and previous students had attempted to germinate the pollen grains, so that we could observe the growth of the pollen tube in vitro. Unfortunately, I have not managed to this protocol successfully still. Hopefully with more research on my part, and guidance, I will be able to optimise the process and one day show the germinating pollen grains to my students.

Clitoria flower

Clitoria ternatea is the latin name for the more commonly known "butterfly pea". The structure of this flower is rather complex.

Additionally the blue pigments can function as a simple pH indicator. When this flower is used to brew tea, it will form a blue coloured tea. The addition of acidic substances, like a slice of lemon, will cause the colour of the tea to change to purple.

external features of clitoria flower

The standard and wing petals are visible, but the keel petals are hidden inside the wing petals.

Nectar guides are the lines on the surface of the standard petal.

petals removed

With the petals removed, what is shown in this photo are the male and female reproductive parts of the flower.

9 of the stamens are fused together to form a trough (hollow tube) that encloses the carpel. The 10th stamen is not fused.

Nectar can only be collected by an insect with a long tubular mouth

dissection of the ovary

Inside the ovary, there are a row of ovules (each containing an ovum), which will develop into seeds in the fruit after successful pollination and fertilisation.

Neutral vs Acidic

When the butterfly pea flowers are steeped in hot water to create tea. The colour of the tea formed is blue.

blue vs purple vs pink

Butterfly pea tea made with hot water is naturally blue in colour. This tea can function like a simple pH indicator.

When small amounts of acid are added to the blue tea, it will change from blue to violet.

If acid is continued to be added to the tea, the final colour observed will be pink.

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