Molecules in Flowers

Uses

• Plants produce special molecules to make their flowers more colorful and fragrant. Their colors vary depending on their species, as well as the type of insects and animals they want to attract. Plants typically need insects and animals to carry their pollen from one flower to another to reproduce. To do this, they make their flowers colorful and produce odor molecules. Some flowers also produce nectar, which serves as food for bees.

Basic Molecules

• Flowers, like leaves and stems, are made up of basic biological molecules that make life possible. Some of these molecules include carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Carbohydrates serve as the source of energy of flowers and plants, while lipids serve as warehouses that store energy. Proteins, on the other hand, are the workhorses of biological processes; they are extensively used to produce cells and other parts the flower needs to function.

Color Molecules

• Color molecules, also known as pigments, allow flowers to have variations in color. Biological pigments sometimes combine several types of molecules to produce a certain color. Examples of molecules in pigments include anthocyanins, betalains and carotenoids. Carotenoids absorb all other colors of the visible spectrum except red and orange, while anthocyanin can make a flower blue, red or purple depending on the acidity or baseness of the plant. Betalains are another type of molecule producing red and yellow colors.

Odor Molecules

• Odor molecules make it possible for plants to release certain scents. Although most flowers release a scent that's fragrant to a human's olfactory sense, there are some species that produce unpleasant odors. Just like coloration, flowers release scents to attract pollinators. Aside from attracting, it can also act as a deterrent to some invasive or parasitic species. Odor molecules are light and easily evaporate in order to travel in the air.